The City of Evil
by Joran
Summary: Two worlds are left as one and the great adventure is over. But after a short time, a new threat rears its ugly head. A Twili, loyal to Zant, who seeks both vengeance and power. He will stop at nothing to gain allies and yearns to conquer multiple worlds.
1. Betrayal

**The City of Evil**

_Note: This story is a crossover between Batman and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The reason why is that I felt that a game like Twilight Princess had a dark and gritty feel and just fit in with the Batman mythos. It's a bit of a ridiculous idea, I know, but this is a combination of two of my favourite fictional characters. I don't own any of these characters, Batman and all related character and place names belong to DC Comics. Everything Legend of Zelda related belongs to Nintendo. I've taken a serious approach to this story and it is very much a labour of love for both franchises. I'm not the best writer there is, but I do hope I am at least good enough to present you with something enjoyable in this little project of mine._

_It is also on another website called North Castle. It is my work in both cases._

Chapter 1: Betrayal

In the perpetual twilight of another realm, a lone figure stands perched atop the balcony of an elaborate palace. This belonged to the Royal family of his kind. He looked out into the distance, watching the dancing particles of darkness, forever falling into nothingness. He wore a look of anger and cold, pure, hatred on his face. His yellowy eyes glowed, fiercely. Dark thoughts consumed his mind.

This was not fair. Why did Midna do this? The true ruler of the Twili, Zant, had been killed by her hand. He needed redemption. He needed vengeance for his fallen king. His name was Lanim, and he was the sole Twili who pledged allegiance to Zant.

All the rest hated the usurper. Not Lanim, though. He truly believed that Zant was the true ruler of the Twilight Realm. He was plotting vengeance, but sorely needed allies. He had no one on his side. He thought for a long while. He then had a thought.

Midna was the most powerful of all the Twili. The Twilight Princess would surely be a great source of power. She would not aid his cause, though. Not willingly, anyway.

If he could somehow manipulate her power, then he might stand a chance. Her help would also help revive Ganondorf. Zant worshipped Ganondorf, which meant, so did Lanim.

He would not find any allies in this world, so he needed Midna to get him to another. There, he could find many who would follow him, and he could use Midna's power to revive Ganondorf there, and bring him, not only back to the Twilight Realm, but the Light World as well. He could aid Ganondorf in finally capturing the land of Hyrule.

His plan now complete, it was time for him to put it into action. First off, he would need to somehow get Midna's power. To do that, he would need to gain her trust. Then, he would steal her power and warp himself to another world. His own power was quite weak, so he needed to gain her power.

Lanim's eyes glowed menacingly, and he turned back toward the door to enter the palace. The symbols on the door glowed fluorescent blue, and opened by some unseen force. He entered, letting the door close behind him, the glow fading once more.

He walked forward, and ascended a small flight of stairs. He continued through the winding halls until reaching the door to the throne room. As he approached the door, one of the guards standing there stopped him.

"Stop right there" he said in a bored, exasperated voice. "Have you an appointment to see the princess?" he asked, unenthusiastically. He was incredibly sick of giving the same speech over and over again. So many people wanted to see the princess, it was ridiculous.

"Let me through, I need to speak with Princess Midna. I have urgent news."

The guard sighed.

"No one is allowed to see the princess unless one submits a request through the Royal Request Service and writes a formal letter to be accepted or denied by the princess herself."

"Listen to me! I have news that the princess must know, now! Let me in!"

The guard rested his forehead on his right hand and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Look man, I'm tired. My shift is almost done, and I want to go home. I've heard all the excuses, and yours is the oldest in the book. Without a request, you can't see the princess. Don't make this any harder on you, or me, and just turn around and leave."

"You incompetent fool! This is news of great concern to the princess! She must know this, or her safety will be in danger! Now, do your job, and let me in!"

The guard saw how persistent Lanim was, but he held firm.

"My job is to keep unwanted and unexpected guests from getting to the princess. I _am_ doing my job, and doing it well. Now, take your lame excuse and get the hell out of here!"

Lanim was furious, but could see no way of getting past the guards. He turned away in disgust and angrily stomped his way all the way down to the palace exit. He would have to think of some other way of getting to Midna.

Lanim approached the palace once more. He had come up with a brilliant plan to get into the palace. He thought so, anyway. He entered through the main entrance. There were no guards here because most of the palace was open to the rest of the Twili to freely enter at their own leisure.

He walked up to the throne room door. Thankfully the guard who had been there yesterday was not there today. He made like he was injured and stumbled toward the door. The guards took notice and approached him.

"What happened to you?" one of them asked.

"I... was... attacked! By a group of... rogue... youths" Lanim replied, panting in mock exhaustion.

"We must get you medical treatment."

"No! There's no time! They are planning an attack on the princess!"

"We can handle them, sir. They won't get past us."

Lanim grew irritated, but maintained his composure.

"You don't understand! They are planning to blast through the back wall using dark magic!"

"What? We must stop them! Stay here. We'll see to you later."

The two guards left, leaving the door to the throne room unguarded. Lanim smirked to himself. His plan worked perfectly. Convincing those youths to attack the palace made his plan seem like a real incident. It was precisely what he needed. All he needed to do now was save the princess from these youths in order to gain her trust.

He approached the door. It opened, and he entered. Midna was sitting on her throne, looking bored, until she saw Lanim.

"You're not supposed to be in here! Guards!"

She noticed that no one answered her call.

"What? Where are they?"

"Your majesty, you are in grave danger. Rogue youths are planning an attack on you! The guards went to stop them after I warned them. I fear they will not reach them in time."

"Nonsense. No one would attack me!"

As soon as she said it, the wall began to collapse. A large chunk of the wall began coming down, but Lanim leapt at her and pushed Midna out of the way. He jumped back, just as the wall hit the ground.

The three youths entered and rushed the princess.

"Bring her down! Bring down the usurper!" they cried.

Lanim stepped in front of the princess.

"She is no usurper, you fools! She is the rightful princess to the Twili and I will _not _let you harm her!"

Lanim almost cringed as he spoke those words. He almost couldn't bear to defend the one he hated so much. But he had to, to win her trust.

"What?" asked the lead youth. "But, you're the one who told us-"

"Lies!" Lanim cried. "You attacked me, and began this rampage for nothing! I will stop you!"

He leapt forward, and threw a vicious kick to the lead youth's stomach. He went flying into the wall, and was knocked unconscious. The other two immediately raised their hands in surrender.

The guards arrived at the broken down wall. What they saw stunned them. They saw Lanim, who had injured himself intentionally to make it even more real, standing above the three youths. They were tied up, and closely watched by Lanim. He limped over to the guards.

"You saved the princess!" both guards said in unison.

"It was only my duty" he said, feigning modesty.

"You are a Twili hero!"

He smiled, but it was not because they had called him a hero. It was because his plan had worked perfectly. He would soon have the princess's power at his disposal. He looked toward Midna, who gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you, sir. I owe you my life. What is your name?"

"Lanim, your highness."

"Very good, Lanim. You are now, as of this moment, a Twili Knight. And I will bestow upon you the highest honor. You will serve as my personal guard."

Lanim smiled, but he hid the evil it contained. She was playing right into his hand.

"Thank you, your highness. I will serve you well."

A few weeks later, after the wall had been repaired, Midna sat on her throne once more. Lanim stood at her side, garbed in Royal Twili armour. Midna sighed, deeply. Lanim decided to feign concern.

"What's wrong, your majesty?"

"I was just thinking of someone. From the Light World. I miss him terribly."

"Who, your highness?" he asked, trying to hide his rage at her mentioning the accursed light dwellers.

"His name is Link. We know him as the Divine Beast."

Lanim growled under his breath. How he hated the Divine Beast for what he did to Zant. He would pay, too.

"I wish I could see him again, just one more time. I love him. I almost told him, before I destroyed the mirror, but stopped at the last second. I wish I had told him. But then, he'd have to live with the knowledge that I would never see him again, and would sit here in pain. He'd feel terrible. It's better that I didn't tell him."

Lanim was growing irritated with all this nonsense. He turned to her and said

"Princess Midna, would you come with me for a moment? I've something to show you."

"What is it?"

"It's a new spell I've been working on. It's something that may be able to open portals to other worlds."

Midna's eyes widened in excitement.

"Really? You mean, like the mirror?"

"Precisely, your highness. All I need is your powerful magic to help open it."

Lanim was pleased with Midna's eagerness.

"Of course, Lanim! I'll gladly do that for you!"

"Thank you, princess. Follow me."

As he turned, he smiled wickedly. This was just too easy. Everything was falling into place. He led her to his chamber. The door closed behind them as they entered, and he secretly locked it.

"Now, princess, I will bring forth this spell."

He began chanting strange words and raised his hands above his head. A small purple vortex opened above his head.

"All right, your highness, add your power to mine, and the portal will fully open."

She did as he said, and the vortex began growing in size. It grew steadily until it covered the entire ceiling.

Little did she realize that Lanim had also been stealing her power with this spell, adding it to his own. When the portal finally finished growing, Midna opened her eyes, and suddenly felt dizzy.

"Wow. That was tiring. It worked!" She said, excitedly. "Come on, Lanim, let's go to the Light World."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere, princess." Lanim's tone had turned dark and cold. "I am to use this portal. And, it does not go to the light world. It goes to another place. A place far in the future and in another dimension."

"You traitor!" she could sense his intentions through his voice. "Why would you go there?"

"To gather allies, and bring back the King of Evil."

Her look changed from anger to shock.

"Ganondorf?" Lanim nodded. "I won't let you!"

Midna tried to use her power to destroy Lanim, but realized that she couldn't. Her power was now very weak.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I stole your power while you opened this portal. My power is now limitless! Goodbye, Midna. When I return, your false reign shall end. You and the rest of your foolish followers are doomed!"

With that, Lanim leapt up into the portal and vanished. In the blink of an eye, the portal disappeared as well. Midna stood there, stunned. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Now there were three worlds in danger, and she could do nothing about it.

Her power was gone, and she had no way of contacting Link. She also had no way of pursuing Lanim, and had no way to stop him, even if she could. She sat in silence, and tried to think. It was happening again. Evil was afoot once more.


	2. The Plans of Fate

Chapter 2: The Plans of Fate 

In the village of Ordon, there is peace. Link sat in his house, deep in thought. His thoughts remained on his past adventure. It had taken him to the furthest reaches of Hyrule, and beyond.

He thought about the Twilight Realm. He wondered how Midna was doing. He missed his friend terribly. She and Link were very good friends, and he wanted to see her again. He felt saddened when she left, and had thought about her quite often.

He didn't know what he was feeling. It may have been love, but he wasn't sure and it made him feel confused. He decided to try and take his mind off it. He got up and went outside. There, Mayor Bo was waiting for him.

"Ah, Link. I'm glad to see you. I've something to discuss with you." Link gave him a puzzled look.

"Don't worry, lad. It's nothing bad. It has to do with the village's annual gift to the Royal Family."

"Oh, that's a relief" Link replied. "I thought something was wrong, with the way you were speaking."

"I was trying to be a little more formal" Bo chuckled "I guess it didn't work."

He led Link away to his house. They entered the house and Link and Bo sat down at the table to have their discussion.

**-Gotham City-**

He sits in his mansion, staring attentively at the television screen in front of him. He is watching the daily news. He hears a female voice, and a woman appears onscreen from behind a desk.

"Our top story tonight, the city's national bank was robbed today, by a large group of armed men. They appeared to be led by the notorious Killer Croc.

Several eyewitnesses reported seeing a strange black apparition fall from the sky via some sort of portal. Police had no explanation for this, and a few of the officers at the scene reported seeing the apparition as well.

The apparition was seen speaking to Killer Croc, and was accompanying him when they fled the scene. The top paranormal experts from around the country are being brought in to investigate. The only other question remaining is, where was the bat-" there was a click as the television was turned off.

The man sighed, and rubbed his forehead with his left hand. A tuxedo clad man entered the room at this moment.

"Master Bruce" he said, with his English accent "Ms. Vale is here to see you. She wants to confirm your plans for tomorrow evening."

"Thank you, Alfred." He sighed again.

"I sense you are going to cancel again, sir." He nodded. "That poor girl. If you want my opinion, sir, I believe you are throwing away a wondrous opportunity."

"I have to, Alfred. I've got too much to do, tomorrow. You know, the press conference and everything else."

"Very well, sir. I shall tell her." Before Alfred could leave, Bruce stopped him.

"No, Alfred. I'll do it." Alfred nodded and let him pass. Bruce walked to the front door, where a pretty young red-haired woman was waiting.

"Hi, Bruce" she said. "I just came to confirm our plans for tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Vicky, but I just can't do it. I have to go to that press conference, and I have to attend a very long, last minute business meeting. I just found out today."

"That's too bad" she said sadly. "I'm leaving for Japan in two days, and won't be back for a week."

"Well, we can go out, maybe, a couple days after you get back?"

"Sure" she smiled. "See you then, Bruce."

"All right. Bye, Vicky." She left, and he closed the door behind her. He sighed sadly, once again.

"Well, sir, at least you had the sense to reschedule."

"I need to make it up to her, Alfred. But tomorrow is just no good. I mean, there's just no time."

"Why, sir?"

He paused a moment. "Because, Alfred, the Batman has work to do."

**-Hyrule-**

"So, you're planning on giving another sword?" Link questioned. Bo had told him that this year's gift for the Royal Family was a sword, once again. "But, we gave them one for last year. I'm sure they'd appreciate it anyway, but, don't you think we could try something different?"

"I suppose we could, Link. Also, that gift last year didn't make it to them" Bo said, eyeing Link.

"What? Did you just expect me to give up my only means of defence? What was I supposed to do?"

Bo smiled. "I know, lad. I'm only teasing. But, back to your idea. I hadn't really given it much thought but, we could've sent something else, too. But, Rusl has already made a sword, and I'd hate to tell him to just put it away. We'll try your idea next year." Link nodded.

"All right. So, I suppose you know what I'm about to ask you now?"

"You want me to deliver the sword?" Bo nodded. "No problem, Mayor Bo. I'd be happy to do it."

"Thank you, Link. Rusl's got the sword all ready. All you need to do is get Epona and ride on to Hyrule Castle."

Link nodded again, and got up from the table. He walked to the door, and exited Bo's house.

Link made his way over to Rusl's house. He knocked on the door, and Uli answered.

"Oh, hello, Link. Are you here for Rusl?"

"Yes, Uli. Bo wants me to deliver the sword he made for the Royal Family."

"All right, I'll go get him."

Uli closed the door and Link waited outside. The door opened once again and Rusl was standing there this time. In his hands he held a beautiful sword. It was even nicer than the one he had made last year.

This one had a silver handle, with the shape of the Triforce on the hilt. The Triforce was as golden as the real thing. The blade wore the same typical sword colour but it was clear that much care and craftsmanship went into its creation.

"Here it is, Link. Promise me it'll make it this time" he said, with a wink.

"Of course, Rusl" Link said, accepting the blade. He attached it to his back.

"By the way, do you still have the sword from last year?"

"Yes, Rusl. I do still need it. Why? Do you want it back?"

"No, Link. I just wanted to make sure it was in the right hands. Alright. Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you, Rusl. I'll be back in a few days. For real this time" he said, smiling. With that, he turned and left.

He reached his house, and climbed aboard Epona. He snapped the reins, and she took off in the direction of the bridge to Faron Woods.


	3. A New World to Conquer

Chapter 3: A New World to Conquer

**-Gotham City-**

Lanim felt like he was spinning. Spinning, twisting and turning out of control; to the point he felt he could take it no more. Suddenly, the spinning stopped and he hit the ground with a thud, and slowly got to his feet.

He looked down at the ground and saw a strange path made of stone stretching straight ahead in front of him as far as the eye could see. He looked around and saw huge structures that seemed to go on forever into the sky.

He looked to his left and saw strange carriages, moving on their own, with nothing at all pulling or pushing them. And everywhere he looked, he saw people. There were thousands of them walking the streets, and a few were running around.

He suddenly saw several of the self-propelled carriages come speeding toward his location. They each had flashing lights of red and blue at the top. There were strange markings on the side and front, and each one of them seemed to be making a high-pitched, squealing sound as they approached.

Several men dressed in odd clothing stepped out of the carriages. They pulled funny shaped sticks from their sides and pointed them forward. Lanim guessed that these men were the equivalent of knights from his dimension. He suddenly heard a loud voice as one of the men put a strange, cone-shaped device with a handle to his mouth.

"Drop your weapons. Come out with your hands up. We have the building surrounded. If you do not desist, we will fire on you."

Lanim wondered who this man was talking to. He soon got his answer as a large explosion rocked the building and sent him sprawling. Several of the men were knocked over as well.

He looked toward where the explosion had occurred and saw a very strange sight. Several men and a giant lizard-like man came running out of the broken down wall. They were all holding strange looking black objects, and aimed them at the knight men.

The sounds these objects were making was incredibly odd. It was a strange series of loud rattling. The lizard-man ran over to a large metallic box and ducked behind it.

It was right near where Lanim was standing. Lanim stared at the odd lizard-man. He guessed that this lizard-man was the leader of the others and, by the looks of him, was quite evil.

Lanim smiled as he relished at his first opportunity to make an alliance. He ran forward and stopped when he reached the man.

"Hello" said Lanim. The lizard-man looked at him and laughed out loud.

"What are you supposed to be?" he asked.

"I am a Twili. I come from another dimension and seek alliances with the forces of evil. I am going to revive Ganondorf and rule the land of Hyrule at his side. You have proven worthy of joining me in my task. Will you join me?"

The man smiled an evil smile. He looked toward Lanim and said.

"You'd better leave, crazy man. Or would you provide me with a feast?"

He then thought for a moment. This thing, whatever it was, would be perfect to work for him. Quite a threatening ally a ghost, or whatever this man was, would make. He decided to buy into this strange thing's proposal.

"On second thought, I will join you."

Lanim smiled. He finally had his first ally. Hyrule would belong to Ganondorf in no time.

"What do you call yourself, ghost?"

"I am Lanim. Ally to Zant, the true Twili king. Worshiper of the Dark Lord Ganondorf. Who are you?"

"They call me Killer Croc. Let's get ourselves outta this crap!"

"That would seem logical, Killer Croc."

With that, Killer Croc and Lanim got up and fled with the group of men following close behind.

Killer Croc led Lanim to one of the carriages, and they climbed in. He heard a rumbling sound, and then the carriage suddenly lurched forward. The vehicle then drove off to an as yet undetermined location. Gotham and Hyrule were now in serious trouble.

**-Hyrule-**

"Here it is your majesty" Link said, kneeling and holding the sword out for the Princess. "This is from the people of Ordon. We give this to you in appreciation for all that you do for us, Princess Zelda."

She stood up from her throne and accepted the sword. She grasped it with both hands and then unsheathed it. She was surprised at how light and balanced it was for a sword of its size.

"Stand up, Link" she said. Link did as he was told. "Tell the people of your village that you have my thanks for this lovely sword. Also, I'd like to invite you to my quarters for a private discussion."

Some of the guards in the room looked to Link with a jealousy in their eyes. He felt their poisonous glares and felt a little nervous. He looked around the beautiful new throne room and eyed one of the guards, carefully.

His eyes were darkened in pure hatred. Ever since Link had saved them all, the guards had been held in a very low esteem. They had a reputation as cowards and layabouts. Link had made them look bad, and they resented him for it. Plus, they all would have died to be in the private company of the princess, so to see him get invited for a private discussion only fuelled their hatred even more.

Zelda beckoned for Link to follow, and he walked off after her, not taking his eyes off that one guard. If that guard's eyes had been arrows, they would have carried death with them, as well as a poisoned tip for extra pain.

He followed Zelda a short distance down the beautiful new halls. He had marvelled at the old halls of the old castle. But these new halls were a sight to behold. Rich, flowing tapestries of every imaginable colour adorned the walls, depicting scenes of the days of old.

Golden chandeliers hung atop the ceiling with glistening crystals of red, blue, and green.

There were stained glass windows that had scenes on them as well. As he looked closer at them, he realized that _he _was in those scenes!

Link saw his own portrait in a nearby window. He stood in a fighting pose, the Master Sword in his hand, as he awaited an oncoming charge from an enemy. It was quite an honor to see himself depicted in such a way in the great castle of Hyrule.

They reached Zelda's chamber, and she opened the door to let him in. He stepped into her room and saw something quite odd. The bedroom itself was rather ordinary.

White sheets, stone floor, stone walls. Crossed swords hanging on the wall. A dresser with a vanity in the corner. But, other than that, nothing else. Not at all what he expected a princess's room to be like.

It showed him that Zelda was just a regular person, only appearing dignified and sophisticated for show to give her subjects what they expect. In private, she was very different.

"I'm glad you're here, Link. I've been having strange dreams lately, and they concern me."

"What about, princess?"

"Please, Link, call me Zelda."

"All... right. What about... Zelda?"

"Well, in them a strange apparition appears in this city of the future. It is a dark place, a city of evil. It seems familiar, this apparition. And, that's all there is. I also hear this voice speaking to me, one of the light spirits. They say 'find the hero and send him to me'.

Link, seek out the light spirits. Find out which one has summoned you, and listen to what they say. I believe a great threat is coming to Hyrule once again. Not only is our world in danger, but another as well.

That is why I've brought you here today. To pass on the message of the light spirit. Go now, Link. Start with the spirit nearest your home in Ordon. Go to the spring and see if it was indeed Ordona who summoned you. If not, search the other springs until you find which has summoned you. Goodbye, Link. And good luck."

"Goodbye, Zelda. I will do as you say. I trust your judgement, my princess."

With that, Link left Zelda's chamber, shutting the door behind him. He then started off in the direction of the castle gates. The beginnings of a new quest were now born.


	4. Worlds Collide

Chapter 4: Worlds Collide 

**-Gotham City-**

Cries for help could be heard from within the building. They were desperate jewellery store clerks, held up at gunpoint by a man with a half normal, half disfigured face.

"If you give me your money and valuables, you may get lucky and I won't have to kill you."

The nervous clerk did as he was told and, with shaking hands, he opened his register and took out all the money and handed it to the man, as well as all the gold in his cabinet.

"Good. Now..." at that point he pulled a coin from his pocket. He showed the clerk one side of the coin.

"Heads, you live, tails, you die."

He flipped the coin up in the air, and caught it. He opened his hand and looked.

"Tails. Too bad." he brought up his gun, but before he could fire, the gun was flung from his hand and a man in black knocked him flying back into the glass case behind him, shattering it.

He got up, his eyes blazing.

"You again! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Why don't you stop your petty thievery then?" the man in black said in a gravelly voice.

The robber, known as Two-Face, formerly Harvey Dent, took this as an insult and spat back

"This is just for starters, bat! I need my money to get my real plan moving!" What neither of them knew at that point was, hidden, there were a pair of glowing yellow eyes watching the scene unfold.

"You're going back to Arkham, Harvey" said the man in black, whose costume resembled that of a giant black bat, with a crest proudly displayed on his chest, shaped as such.

"Tell you what, bat, I'll take a chance. Heads, I go with you willingly. Tails, I kill you!"

He pulled out his coin and threw it in the air again.

Before he could catch it the Batman, as he was known in the city of Gotham, rushed Two-Face and tackled him to the ground. They both flew through the window to the shop, shattering it, and went sprawling into the street.

They got up, facing each other. Two-Face threw a punch, but the Batman blocked this and began a series of punches and kicks that sent Two-Face to the ground again.

So swift was the Batman that Two-Face hardly had a moment to blink in between blows. Two-Face picked himself up and, persistent, turned to face the Batman again. He ran at him, with a concealed knife, and began throwing punches, each one blocked by the skilled Batman.

He pulled out his knife, and thrust it into the Batman's side, only to see the blade bend and break as it hit solid armour. The Batman simply grabbed Two-Face's arm and deftly removed the knife from his hand.

With one final blow, Two-Face fell to the ground, unconscious as the police arrived.

The Batman promptly pulled out a grapple gun, and fired it at the side of a nearby building. Within seconds, he was lifted off the ground and disappeared into the night. The police picked up Two-Face, and Lanim watched from a man-hole cover on the street, peeking out after lifting the cover.

"Hmmm... it seems that this world has its own Divine Beast. Almost as powerful as ours, too. He'll have to be dealt with."

With that, Lanim climbed down the ladder where Killer Croc and his cronies waited.

"Killer Croc" said Lanim "who is that man in black?"

"What man in black?" said the Killer Croc, in an instant rage.

"Well, I just looked outside and saw an altercation between an evil man with two faces and a strange man in black dressed as-"

"A bat?" said Killer Croc.

"Yes, who is he?"

"That is the Batman, Lanim. The thorn in my side, the scourge of the criminal underworld. It'll be a pleasure to devour him."

Lanim nodded and walked to the window. He looked outside.

"Yes, we have one like him where I come from. We call him the Divine Beast, but he is called Link. I have a strange feeling that he is on his way here."

"That will make two of them. More meat for me!"

" I am powerful enough to deal with them, Killer Croc. Once I gather enough of the evil forces throughout the city. When Ganondorf is revived with my power, then let them try and stop us. The King of Evil can certainly deal with the likes of them."

Killer Croc liked the sound of this Ganondorf.

"Would he be able to take over the city?"

"Oh yes, Killer Croc. He has the power to take anything he desires."

Killer Croc smiled a toothy smile and growled menacingly.

**-Hyrule-**

Link rode past Ordon Spring on his way home. He heard the voice of the Light Spirit speaking to him.

"Destined Hero, come to my spring. There is something you must know."

Link turned and entered the spring, dismounted Epona, and the strange, goat-like form of Ordona appeared.

"Hero, the one chosen by the gods, listen to my words. There is trouble in another realm. A Twili named Lanim, one loyal to Zant, has escaped the Twilight Realm leaving princess Midna powerless."

A look of shock and horror came on Link's face. He wanted to go and find Midna and help her. Ordona seemed to be reading his thoughts.

"She will be fine, Hero. As the true ruler of the Twili, her power will grow again. Your concern is with this Lanim. He has left for a great city of the future in another world. There are many there with great evil power whom he is planning on bringing together to revive Ganondorf."

Link began to grow angry. All of his work and all the suffering and death Hyrule had been through would be for not. He could not let it happen again.

"I see your determination, Hero. However, you will have a great deal of help upon reaching the other side. There is a man there who fights the crime rampant within the city. He is a great ally. However, you will have some difficulty earning his trust. Once you do, though, there is nothing the two of you can't accomplish."

"What is his name?"

"You will learn that when you meet. Now, it is time for me to transport you to this city."

"But, what about the people in Ordon? They need to know what has happened to me, and that I haven't just disappeared."

"Do not worry, Hero. Time in that realm passes much faster than it does here. What will be two days for you will have been an hour here. They will not notice your absence as anything out of the ordinary."

Link was reassured by this and said

"All right. I will go."

Ordona nodded and disappeared back into the spring. Suddenly, a large purple vortex appeared in front of him. Link suddenly realized that he did not have his sword and shield.

He quickly ran back to his house. He climbed the ladder, threw open the door, and then jumped down to his dark basement. He felt around until he felt the hilt of his sword. He continued feeling around until finding his shield, the Hylian one he had bought from Malo in Kakariko Village.

He put them both on his back and scrambled up the ladder and out the front door.

He jumped to the ground and ran back to the spring where the vortex was still waiting. He walked into the vortex and felt the same feeling as entering the Mirror of Twilight.

On the other side, he looked around and marvelled at what he saw.

Massive buildings loomed up into the sky. He looked up and saw the same moon that was in his world. He heard a strange sucking sound behind him as the vortex closed.

It was a dark night, and he found himself in a darkened alley, not knowing that in this city, it was the worst place to be at this time of night. He looked at the city's profile and noticed that it had a ghostly, dark feel to it. There was smoke billowing from metal chimneys all over, and there seemed to be a dark fog covering the entire city, one that seemed like it would never be lifted.

He made his way cautiously through the alley, his left hand held up ready to draw his sword at a moment's notice. He suddenly heard a noise behind him and turned to see what it was. He saw nothing there.

He then suddenly felt the presence of someone behind him. He drew his sword and swung it as he spun around, stopping at the stranger's throat. What he saw was shocking and terrible.

He saw a man there, dressed in a purple suit, and wearing an eerie permanent grin on his grotesque white face. His hair was green and his eyes were wild and dark.

"Well, you don't play very nicely, do you?" the man said in a strangely happy yet maniacal tone. Link said nothing.

"What are you? I know! A little leprechaun come out to search for gold."

Link's look turned to puzzlement, but he still held his sword at the man's throat, and did not dare to speak.

"You know boy, leprechauns shouldn't play with knives, especially big ones like that."

Link continued his hard glare at the man.

"Come on, boy. Speak up! It's no fun when my victims don't give me any banter."

This man then laughed in a high-pitched and insane way that pierced to the soul. Link finally decided to speak.

"I won't be any victim of yours."

"Oh, so you do talk? You sound a lot like another guy I know. He is great fun, too. Good old batsy. Unfortunately boy, you will be my victim. And I can tell that you are going to be the most fun I've had in a long time. Oh boys!"

Suddenly, four very large men wearing clown makeup and clown clothing stepped from the shadows and surrounded Link.

"Make sure this leprechaun doesn't get his pot of gold."

They all rushed him, but Link raised his shield and thrust it forward at the first man to reach him. It hit him square in the face and he fell to the ground.

The other three reached him, but he leapt up in the air, using one of their heads as a launching pad and soared over the white-faced man and landed behind him. He turned to face them, his sword and shield at the ready.

The four of them charged at him, brandishing metal pipes. The first swung at him but he blocked this with his shield. Two others tried, but the same happened. The white-faced man attacked from the other side, and Link swung his sword to meet the strike of the pipe. His sword sliced straight through the pipe, reducing its size by half.

The white-faced man dropped his pipe and leapt at him. He threw a kick that caught Link in the face, sending him stumbling backward. Unfazed, he ran forward and planted his shield in the chest of the man, sending him to the ground.

Two of the large men rushed him from behind. He turned in time to dodge one of them, but not the other. This man tackled him and he fell to the ground, his sword skidding away. The man held him on the ground, and the white-faced man came forward. He knelt down to the now trapped Link and brought out a small knife from his jacket.

"You know, you were a lot of fun. Really. It was great while it lasted. Too bad you won't live long enough to see it happen again. Now don't worry, this is going to hurt. A lot!" he said, laughing.

As he brought the knife closer, one of the men behind him disappeared in a flash, and he turned his head, distracted, as did the man holding him down. Link took this opportunity and worked his arm free, landing a solid punch on his captor's nose, causing him to reach for it. Link then shoved him off and got up.

He ran over to his sword and picked it up. As he turned around, he noticed all but the white-faced man lying on the ground, unconscious. He was being held off the ground by a figure in black.

"Hello batsy" he said to the figure. "I was just talking about you with the leprechaun."

"Enough talk, Joker" the figure said, his voice rough, with a deep and dark tone. "Where is Killer Croc?"

"How would I know where he is, bats? We only just scheduled a dinner party for this weekend. You should join us."

"Stop it! I know you and Croc are working together with that apparition. Where is he?"

To Link, this sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Old Scale-face and I don't hang out anymore, bats. Oh, the laughs we used to have."

He cackled insanely again.

"Pardon me" Link interjected "But, did you say something about an apparition?"

"Stay out of this, kid. You've had a rough enough night. Why don't you go home."

"I can't, really. My home is in another world. I've been sent here to seek you out. I know what that apparition is and how to stop it."

"Did you hear that, bats? He's loonier than I am!"

"Quiet, Joker! I've had enough of you. If you won't talk, you're going straight back to Arkham!"

"Come on, bats. You and I both know that you'll take me there either way."

The figure just growled and threw a punch to the Joker's head, knocking him unconscious. At this point, he walked over to Link.

"You put up a good fight, kid. Joker's a tough opponent. He likes to talk to throw you off, but you were completely undeterred. What's your name?"

"I'm Link. I think you are the one I am looking for."

"How's that?"

"I was sent here because a Twili named Lanim, the apparition, escaped to here and is recruiting evil men with great power so he can revive a very dangerous demon man."

"Kid, you're talking crazy again. I think you need to go home and get some rest." Link was getting impatient.

"What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm telling the truth?"

"Make sense. That's all I ask."

"Fine. This apparition, he is from a place I have been, close to where I'm from. He escaped to here to gain allies and bring back a very dangerous man. How's that?"

"That makes some sense. What is it you're here for?"

"I've been sent here to find you, I'm certain, so that we can stop this from happening."

The man stood in silence for a moment. He had heard a lot of insane ramblings from deranged criminals, but this young man seemed very level-headed and strong. His clothing was indeed strange, as if it were from medieval times, but he was mentally stable and had an air of great courage about him.

"I'm the Batman, by the way."

He extended his hand and Link shook it graciously.

"You should know I work alone, kid."

"Not anymore you don't. You and I must work together to stop this great evil. And stop calling me kid, my name is Link."

"No k-I mean, Link. You don't know what you're getting yourself in to. You fight well and could easily take on a few criminals in this city, but there is no way I'm going to endanger your life."

Link's stare turned hard as he found his anger rising.

"I've put my life on the line more times than I can count. You should have seen the types of things I've had to deal with. That Joker or whatever couldn't even hold a candle to Ganondorf. You have no idea what I have been through! So don't you tell me that I'm not capable of fighting alongside you! You are in no place to judge!"

The Batman considered this and looked at this determined lad. He really didn't want anyone else taking on the line of fire that he had to, but this young man was persistent and courageous and obviously very skilled and experienced.

"All right, kid. Come with me. I'll get my car."

"What's a car?" he asked. He looked at Link, puzzled, and then remembered what he had told him.

"Never mind that, now. I'll explain things on the way. There is something we need to talk over when we get back to my house."

"What's that?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. It's about secrecy and trust. Come on."

The Batman pulled out a strange little device and pushed a button. Just past him, outside the alley, was a carriage, or something like one, that was sleek and black. It seemed to be propelled by nothing at all and Link marvelled.

The door opened with a strange whooshing sound and the seats were revealed through the top.

As Link was about to get in, he turned to the Batman and said "What about that Joker?"

"Don't worry, Link. You hear those sirens? The police are almost here already. He'll be behind bars again in no time."

Link nodded and climbed into this strange vehicle.

He looked at all the strange glowing lights and moving objects displayed in front of him. Link reached forward to touch one of them, until a stern voice said

"Do not touch anything."

Link put his hand back down and sat perfectly still.

"Put on your seat belt."

Link gave him a questioning look and the Batman sighed.

"Just do what I do."

He reached behind him and grabbed a belt and pulled it forward and to the side until it clicked and latched into a square device. Link did the same, and the door closed. Then the car took off like a shot and they were headed away. The heroes were now united, and the quest for justice had begun.


	5. Malicious Alliance

Chapter 5: Malicious Alliance 

Lanim paced the floor of the hideout, waiting for the arrival of his newest allies. He had three of them now, but he needed more. If his plans were to be executed, he would need at least three or four more allies.

He heard a knock at the door and walked over to it. He opened the door to find three men standing there. He recognized Killer Croc, of course, but saw two new men standing there with him.

"Fresh meat for us, Lanim."

"Good, Killer Croc. I have to meet these two new allies of ours."

He approached the two men and examined them, looking them up and down.

One of them spoke up, saying

"Slow down there, ghosty. We barely know each other!"

He then laughed in his insane, high pitched way that only the Joker can. Lanim rolled his eyes.

"This must be the Joker you told me about?" Killer Croc nodded.

"Then that makes you-"

"Two-Face, ghost. I can't believe Croc convinced me to come all this way just find out I'm working with some costumed freak. You're worse than the bat!"

"What? I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"Take off that mask, and show me who you are. Is it you, Crane? Is this some kind of new test to get me scared or something?"

"This is who I am, Two-Face. I will lead you to your ultimate triumph."

"Enough, Crane. Quit with the experiments and take that off!"

Two-Face reached forward and grabbed at Lanim's face, pulling on his chin, trying to remove what he believed was a mask. Lanim shouted in pain and Two-Face jumped back. He hadn't expected this.

"You're real! What the hell are you? Some kind of demon?"

"I am a Twili, Two-Face. I hope that will be all the trouble I have from you."

Two-Face couldn't speak. Joker simply laughed at the whole incident.

"I like your style, ghost. Scaring the pants off Dent is something I've been trying to do for years!" Joker then pretended to cry from happiness. "You've made my wildest dreams come true."

"That'll be all from you, clown. That's enough of the jokes."

"Enough of the jokes? Hey Croc, did you even tell this guy who I am?"

Killer Croc simply growled. Joker continued.

"Jokes are what I'm all about, ghosty. And another thing" his voice turned dark and serious for a moment "I don't take the orders, I give them."

"Joker, you need to learn something. I have more power than you could ever imagine. I am the key to your success. So that means I'm in charge. Don't make me prove my power to you."

Joker looked him in the eye, and then looked down. He looked back up, and laughed again.

"Hey ghosty, why so angry all of a sudden? I'm just kidding, old sport."

Lanim sighed heavily and turned away. There was a distant roll of thunder as he stood in the sewers under the man-hole cover. He then said quietly, to himself

"Your time is coming, Ganondorf. No one will stand in my way. Not even the Divine Beast."

Lanim did not notice Joker behind him, listening.

"What's a Divine Beast, ghosty?"

"The Divine Beast is one called Link. He is the one who killed my master, Zant, and his master, Ganondorf. How sweet revenge would be on him."

"Does this Link dress like a leprechaun and look like an elf?"

"I don't know what those things are, Joker. Don't ask stupid questions."

"Fine, ghosty. Have it your way. Does he wear green and have big, stupid pointy ears?"

Lanim froze and slowly turned around.

"You have seen him?" Lanim asked.

"I had a run-in with him and old batsy. Those two make quite a team."

Lanim suddenly realized what Joker was telling him.

"The Divine Beast is here! He's come to stop us. Worse, he fights with the bat! Killer Croc, send more word out to the evil ones of this city. We need more allies!"

"Since when do I take orders from you?"

"Killer Croc! I wasn't asking! No more insubordination! Just do what I say, now!"

Killer Croc turned away with a loud growl, but did as he was told. He told every one of his henchmen to spread word about this supreme criminal who promises victory for them all.

They scattered off in all different directions in search of the city's many villains. The gathering of evil would come to pass very soon.

* * *

Link was in awe of the place they had arrived at. They were inside a huge cave filled with strange machines making all sorts of odd noises.

They got out of his vehicle and climbed up to the top of the cave via some sort of strange lifting mechanism. When they reached the top, a tuxedo clad man was there.

"Hello sir, may I offer you-" he suddenly stopped speaking when he caught sight of Link.

"Sir? Who is this strange looking boy? Why have you brought him here?"

"This is Link, Alfred. He is a good fighter and has proven trustworthy enough to know my secret."

"How do you do, young man. I am Alfred. It is nice to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you, Alfred."

"Well Link, it's time I showed you my secret."

The Batman removed his cowl and looked at Link, expecting a reaction. He got no reaction from him.

"Well?" Link said "what is it?"

"You aren't from this world, are you Link?" Alfred asked.

"This is who I am. My real name is Bruce. Bruce Wayne. What I need from you is to reveal my true identity to no one. That is what my secret is."

Link didn't find that all that shocking.

"Sure thing, Bruce. I'll have no problem keeping your secret. I have no idea who you are, anyway. Are you famous or something?"

Alfred looked stunned.

"Oh my. It must get cold under that rock, Link."

Link didn't understand his sarcasm, so he did not react in any way.

"Alfred, Link has come here from another world. Really. The same place as this apparition working with Killer Croc. I suspect Joker and Two-Face have joined them, with others to be expected. Whatever this apparition wants, it isn't good."

"I know what he wants" Link said.

"You do?"

" Yes. He wants to revive the Dark Lord, Ganondorf. He is a very powerful, very dangerous man who could turn your world to dust in mere days. These villains you face daily are dangerous, but couldn't hold a candle to Ganondorf."

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Worse than Joker and Riddler and the rest? That seems hard to believe."

"He's speaking from experience, Alfred. Link here has fought this man and beaten him. He knows how to beat him. If they do manage to revive him, we have the right man to bring him down."

"Well. You must be an impressive chap, Link. Master Bruce never speaks this highly of anyone. You have indeed earned my respect, sir."

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce suddenly looked at Link.

"I can tell there is something special about you, Link. But if you are going to work with me, I need to familiarize you with the criminals of this city and help you get to know their tendencies."

"All right. Who should we start with?"

"The most dangerous of them all. Joker. He is a man shrouded in mystery. No one knows his real name or what he did prior to his days as a criminal. Some say he was broken family man. None really know. He is a psychopath with no regard for human life. He cannot be bullied, bought or reasoned with. He is a man with no true motivation other than to watch life suffer."

"Yes. Sounds like a perfectly pleasant chap, doesn't he?" Alfred quipped.

"All right. Who next?"

"How about Riddler? His real name is Edward Nigma. He was a brilliant scientist who always had an obsession with riddles. One day, a project of his was sabotaged during a field test and he was instantly branded as a failure. This drove him mad.

He believed that only incredibly stupid people could believe that he was a failure as a scientist and that they must be destroyed. He likes to set up deadly challenges for people to solve and thinks he is doing Gotham a great service by weeding out the stupid and the ignorant."

"He is truly a fool then" Link said. "He should have continued his work and worked his way back up to a respectable level to prove his doubters wrong. A truly intelligent man would do that."

Bruce was impressed with Link's intelligence and maturity.

"Next I will tell you about Two-Face." They continued on like this until every villain in the city had been shown and explained to Link.

When they got to Mr. Freeze, Link actually felt sorry for him.

"He isn't truly a villain then, is he?" Bruce looked at him and nodded.

"Yes, Link. He is just a lost soul trying to help his dying wife. His anger and hatred have turned him into a monster, but his intentions were never to take over the city nor destroy innocent lives. He is only trying to help his wife. However, in his anger, he does take innocent lives and that does make him a criminal and a very dangerous one at that."

Link did agree to this, but still felt sorry for the man known as Victor Fries.

"Well Link, that's all of them."

"There certainly are quite a lot of very dangerous criminals here. I still wouldn't put all of them combined ahead of Ganondorf, though. He is the one to be truly worried about."

"Well, let's say we turn in" said Bruce.

"In a cave, Bruce? For a famous person, you certainly don't know how to live."

Alfred and Bruce looked at each other and then looked back at Link.

"Not exactly, Link. Come upstairs with me. I'll show you where Bruce Wayne lives."

Link was puzzled by this. Alfred led them to another lifting machine and they went up until they reached the top. The door opened and what he saw was astonishing.

Before him lay an enormous and elaborately decorated corridor.

"Welcome to Wayne Manor, Link" Alfred said, politely.

Link stepped out and looked around.

"Well Bruce, I was wrong. You certainly know how to live. Your family must love it here."

He looked to Bruce who suddenly became quite sombre.

"Bruce? What's wrong?"

"There's something you should know, Link. It's the reason why I became the Batman. One day, when I was ten years old, my parents and I had left an opera house and walked down a dark alley. A man named Joe Chill was there as well. With him he carried a gun. He was a desperate criminal who decided to rob my parents, Thomas and Martha.

When they tried to give in to his demands, they weren't good enough and he-" Bruce stopped.

The memory of seeing his parents gunned down in front of him haunted him during his every waking moment.

"Killed them?" Link said.

"Yes, Link. He killed them. Shot them to death right in front of me. That is why I became the Batman. To prevent something like that ever happening to anyone else again."

"I understand, Bruce. I am sorry."

"Don't be. It is something I have to live with, and I have accepted my role. Good night, Link. Alfred will show you to your room."

With that, Bruce walked down the long corridor until reaching a flight of stairs and began to ascend them.

"This way, Master Link" Alfred said, as Link watched Bruce.

"No need to call me Master, Alfred. Just Link will do."

"Very well. Come with me, Link. The guest room awaits you."

With that, they headed down the corridor in the opposite direction Bruce had travelled.

When they reached the door, Link turned to Alfred and said

"Thank you, Alfred. Sleep well and have a good night."

"I shall try my best, Link. Good night to you as well."

Link smiled, then opened the door and entered the room, shutting it behind him. He would need his rest. He and Bruce would need all their strength for the coming days. Darkness was coming and they needed to be ready.


	6. Frozen with Fear

Chapter 6: Frozen with Fear

In a cold cryogenics lab, one of Killer Croc's henchmen searches. For what? He is looking for the man called Fries. Victor Fries. He, on behalf of Killer Croc, sought the alliance of this man. He was known throughout Gotham as Mr. Freeze.

The henchman nervously called out "Mr. Freeze?"

No response. He continued moving forward until he saw something.

There stood a man, dressed in an almost robotic suit, with a glass helmet covering him. He stood, looking down on a cryogenic chamber that was lying horizontally. Inside this chamber was a woman. The man was speaking to her.

"Oh Nora" he said. "Nora I swear, I will find a cure. Then we can finally live a happy life. Please stay with me until then. Don't leave me, please. I must continue research into your disease my dear. Please hold on, just a while longer."

His voice, cold as it sounded, was filled with sorrow. He turned back to a machine and began typing on a keyboard.

He suddenly heard someone call "Mr. Freeze?" He turned around and saw a shivering man there. He pointed his arm at him, and frost began to develop from it. Ice suddenly shot out and froze the man's legs and torso. Mr. Freeze left his head open to the air so he could hear him.

"You're one of Croc's men. What do you seek here? Speak."

"Killer Croc seeks your alliance" he said, shivering. "He needs your help in overtaking the city."

"I'm not interested. I suppose if you don't return, he'll take that as a no?"

The man looked at him in terror.

"He also says he can destroy the Batman!"

At this, Mr. Freeze was intrigued. He had sworn revenge on the Batman. Batman had foiled his attempt at revenge and caused him to nearly kill his wife, Nora. The incident had made her condition worsen, to the point it is at now. It was nearly irreversible now. He had to get even with him. This seemed good enough for him.

"Very well. I will join Croc in his quest." Croc's henchman smiled in relief. "That doesn't mean you'll see the light of day again" he said coldly.

The man shouted in terror, but Mr. Freeze just froze his head and he was now fully frozen in ice. He then set off to find Killer Croc.

When he awoke, Link looked around at the vast bedroom around him and forgot where he was.

"Where am I?" he said groggily.

He then heard a knock at his door.

"Would our guest care for some breakfast?" said a man with an English accent.

The man's voice snapped Link's memory back into place and he suddenly remembered what was going on.

"Alfred? Yes, please. That would be nice."

Alfred opened the door and carried a silver tray over to Link's bed. There on that tray sat the most elegant looking meal Link had ever seen. He looked up at Alfred in surprise.

"There's no need to do all this for me, Alfred."

"While you are staying here, this is how things will work. It's my job. I know that it will take some getting used to for you."

"Yes it will. Thank you, Alfred."

"My pleasure, sir." Link looked hungrily at his breakfast as Alfred stood there. "Well sir, are you going to eat?"

"Shouldn't I dress first?"

"Sir, you're not going to wear that old green thing, are you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Master Bruce has suggested that while you and he are not fighting crime, you should wear the proper attire. You know, to blend in." Link looked confused.

"But I'll blend in anyway, right? What's the point?" Alfred was almost speechless when he said that.

"Link, you have to wear clothing from this century. With that on you are putting your life in danger and, dare I say, rather shoddy-looking."

"Hey! This is the clothing of the Legendary Hero! Show it the proper respect! Besides, I like it."

"Well sir, that's unfortunate. Master Bruce refuses to let you leave the house if you don't comply with his request."

Link decided to agree, reluctant though he was.

"Fine, Alfred. I'll wear whatever you want."

"Excellent, sir. I shall go and prepare your clothing so that you may dress. Enjoy your breakfast, sir."

Alfred turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Link ate his breakfast and marvelled at how delicious everything was. What a cook Alfred was! Alfred returned and brought in some clothing.

"This used to belong to Master Bruce when he was young. I think they should fit you."

Link picked them up and looked at them strangely. There was a pair of black pants, a blue shirt with a collar and a black sports jacket.

"You expect me to wear this?"

"Yes, Link. You must in order to blend in."

Link looked at them and seemed rather disgusted. He knew how uncomfortable these clothes would be, but he would wear them because it was necessary.

"I've brought you a pair of shoes too."

"What's wrong with my boots?"

"Link, we're not in the back woods. This is Gotham City. How do you expect to blend in if you're dressed in such an absurd way?"

Link didn't understand what was wrong with his clothing, but he knew Alfred was serious and that this was necessary.

"Very well, Alfred. I will wear your outfit. But I don't have to like it."

"No sir, you don't. Shall I see you downstairs?"

"Yes, Alfred. Thank you."

Alfred then turned and left the room for a final time. Link got up and dressed in the strange clothing. He noticed a mirror in the corner of the room. He walked over to it and looked himself up and down. _That doesn't look too bad_ he thought.

He then opened the door and made his way down the stairs. He walked into the massive kitchen and saw Alfred and Bruce sitting at the massive table in the dining room.

"Good morning, Link" said Bruce

"I'm glad to see you agreed to change your clothes. You look quite sharp."

"Good morning to you, Mr. Wayne. I don't feel sharp. This collar is driving me crazy!"

"You'll get used to it. What say you and I take a tour of Gotham? It'll help you get to know the city. You'll need to if you're going to help me."

"That sounds good, Bruce."

He got up from his chair at the table and walked over to the door.

"Let's go, Link."

Link followed him and they both went out the door. Bruce brought a small object out of his jacket pocket.

"What's that?"

Link got his answer as a strange vehicle pulled up in front of the mansion. He was shocked to see no one inside it.

"So you have magic in this realm too?"

"Not exactly, Link. I don't think I should explain the details to you. It's too complicated and you wouldn't understand."

"Understand what? It's just magic, right?"

"There's no such thing as magic, Link. Only technology."

Bruce pushed another button on the device he held and the doors to the vehicle opened.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Link. Some people would give their left arm to ride in a Porsche."

"What's a Porsche? You mean there are more names for these things than 'car'?"

"No, not really. Just names of companies that make them."

"Companies?" Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Okay, places that build cars. They have specific names. Porsche is considered a company that makes very expensive, fast cars."

Link nodded but he still didn't fully grasp the concept. There was still much about this realm he did not understand.

These 'cars' seemed awfully strange. What type of magic allowed such a thing to move on its own? As he pondered this, Bruce hit the gas pedal and the car accelerated quickly. Alfred watched from the doorstep as they took off around the corner.

That night, several men stood outside the walls of Arkham Asylum. Lanim had sent several of Killer Croc's men out to retrieve their newest ally. Problem was they needed to get him from the inside.

Lanim had been told that the Joker had escaped the asylum more than anyone else and that if anyone could break someone out, he could. Joker was sent to lead the group of Croc's men into breaking out the only ally they needed that was currently incarcerated.

"Hey Joker, nobody's told us who we're supposed to be busting out of here" said one of Killer Croc's larger thugs.

"What business is that of yours, fatso? I'm the one breaking in and getting him out."

"I was just asking. Don't call me fatso, clown."

Joker shoved him against the wall of the asylum with surprising strength and pinned him against it. He stared the thug in the eye.

"You'd do well to keep your place, fatso. Or you and I will have a little fun on our own!" he then let out another of his shrill, insane laughs.

The thug tried to act as if he was unfazed but he was clearly terrified.

Joker turned his attention back to the rest of the guards.

"The lot of you will create a disturbance to draw guards away from the rear entrance. I'll be in and out of there lickity split!" he let off another laugh as his short and simple plan was relayed.

Croc's thugs looked at each other and then looked back at Joker.

"That plan's ridiculous. Are you nuts?" asked one of the thugs.

"Yes!" Joker replied, with another laugh. "Trust me boys, I've done this enough times.

Don't you think I know what I'm doing?"

They all looked at each other nervously, but they obediently went to the rear entrance to attack the guards. The Joker watched all this unfold.

"Like little lambs. It makes me smile."

He turned his attention to a window thirty feet above him. He tossed a grappling hook up to the barred window and it latched on. He climbed his way up the wall and made it to the window. He pulled out a round object with a twisted smile on it and placed it in between the bars.

He climbed down out of the way and let the device go off. It emitted a green coloured gas that was so acidic; it rusted through the bars of the window to the point where they were crumbling. He climbed back up to the window and pulled off the rusted bars and then shattered the glass with a hammer he had pulled from his jacket. Alarms were going off instantly but he had calculated correctly. This was the cell for "the doctor" as some would formerly call him.

"Johnny, old boy, it's been a long time."

"Hello there, Bozo. It has been a while" the man replied.

Joker removed the restraints holding the man to a bed and he stood up.

"Come now. We haven't got all night."

"I need one thing before I leave."

He lifted up his mattress and pulled out several aerosol containers.

"I can't forget my toys."

"I suppose not. And when we get out, I've got a nice batch of Croc's men that you can play with!"

Joker said, laughing once again.

The man smiled as he picked up a robe and a mask that were on the floor. He put them on and followed the Joker out the window as guards came streaming past the cell.

They tried to follow but Joker had left some of his laughing gas in the room to incapacitate them. Most of Croc's men were there waiting for them. Some of them had been captured by the guards. The group of men fled away into the night.

A car pulled up beside an old, abandoned building.

"This is where we saw him last."

"Why do we want to find this other guy? We got who we came for."

"You want to please your boss, don't you? Imagine how much he'd reward you for bringing in two more allies."

The thugs weighed their options and decided they were for the idea. The thugs got out of the car and went inside first. Joker and the man he broke out of the asylum stayed behind. A few minutes later, the men could find nobody inside. Joker came in later.

"Find anyone yet?"

"No. I'm starting to think you're playing games with us, clown. Black Mask would never wind up in a place like this."

"You're right. Black Mask isn't here, but someone most definitely is."

Joker quickly exited the room. Suddenly, an aerosol can was thrown amongst them. The thing had been modified to spray on its own and soon the entire building was covered in thick smoke as the gas was emitted from the can.

The thugs coughed and sputtered. The first to regain his vision saw a gigantic spider in front of him. He screamed in terror as he was terrified of spiders.

"Get it away from me!" he cried.

Little did he know that there was nothing there.

The other thugs were experiencing similar things. Screaming things like "Stay back! No! Stay away!"

"Get it off of me! Get it off!"

They all heard this cold, haunting voice from above them.

"Fear is what drives life, my friends. You are experiencing fear in its purest form. It is the last thing you shall feel. And the last face you shall see will be mine. The face of a Scarecrow."


	7. Final Preparations

Chapter 7: Final Preparations

Hours before the freeing of Scarecrow, Link and Bruce had arrived at their destination. A massive tower loomed above them and stretched on almost endlessly into the sky as they pulled into the rear parking lot. At the top of this tower a massive letter 'W' was displayed with the name 'WAYNE' in all capital letters just below it in a smaller font. Link stared up at the tower, craning his neck. Not even the tallest tower of Hyrule Castle was this tall.

"This tower is massive" Link marvelled. "Did you build this tower?"

"No, my father did. This is the centre of Gotham City, Wayne Tower."

"Why are we here?"

"I wanted you to understand exactly who I am. Everyone in this city knows who I am. It's important that you know."

"I see. I guess everyone sees this tower every day."

"I guess they do. This puts my name out there for all to see, including my enemies."

Link suddenly realized what Bruce was trying to tell him.

"You want me to understand how important it is for me to keep your secret. I understand now."

"I'm glad you do. I have to go inside for a minute. Wait in the car until I return."

Bruce turned and walked toward the building and Link got back in the car. Link watched Bruce walk through the back door of the building. Link sat for a while, looking around the inside of this strange car.

He dared not touch anything, remembering Bruce's initial instructions the first time they met and rode in what Bruce called the 'Batmobile'. This whole experience had been strange and unfamiliar but not altogether unpleasant.

Bruce and Alfred had made things feel so much more comfortable in his short time around this new place. But he remembered his initial impression of this world and his encounter with The Joker.

How could this city be filled with an evil like that if a man like Bruce was around to stop it? This was certainly a place that defied explanation. Link was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of voices outside the car.

For a moment he thought Bruce had returned but it couldn't have been because there were four of them and none sounded anything like Bruce. He looked out his window and saw four rough-looking men surrounding the car.

He went still and tried not to be spotted and couldn't understand why the one man outside his window couldn't see him. Link couldn't have understood the concept, but the windows had been tinted to prevent anyone on the outside from seeing inside the vehicle.

He shifted his gaze to the outside and tried his best to listen to the muffled voices outside.

He heard the last two words of one sentence. They said "nice car".

He then heard most of another come from behind the car. This one said "They're... cars around... tower."

He couldn't make sense of what they were saying. He heard the man at the front say something.

All he could hear was "Maybe... ayne's car." He listened harder and heard the next few sentences quite clearly.

"It probably is Wayne's car. Guy can afford a ride like this."

"There ain't many in this town who could afford it."

"Nobody in this town deserves a car like this. Especially some rich scumbag."

"You're right, man. We should trash it."

The four men then each pulled metal sticks with a curve on the ends from their jackets. Link would later find out that these were called crowbars. He understood right then what they had planned to do. They hadn't begun destroying the car yet as they were discussing what each of them would destroy.

Link looked around frantically for a weapon. He needed to defend Bruce's car. He wasn't going to let anyone cause any sort of injustice to one of his only friends in this world. He wished to Farore that he had his sword.

He looked at the compartment in front of him. In it was one of those same sticks the men outside had. He grabbed it and flung open the door to the car, knocking one of the men over.

"Who the hell is that?" shouted one of them.

"Get away from here!" Link shouted.

"Good, let's just trash this dumb kid instead."

"Or better yet, let's take him with us. I'm sure Wayne would pay mightily for you."

The four of them surrounded Link.

Two of them swung at him with their crowbars and the two behind him tried to grab him. In one swift motion, Link hooked the two crowbars with his own and flung them both away while spinning around and hitting the others with his crowbar. They were both struck on the head and it opened large wounds. They were both still conscious but incredibly dazed.

The other two rushed him again but Link just put his shoulder into the first one to reach him. The man hit the ground and the impact knocked the wind out of him. The other caught a swift strike to the head with Link's crowbar and was knocked out cold.

Link opened the door to the car and put the crowbar back into the compartment he had found it in. He closed it and quickly jumped back inside the car. He sat like he had been before.

He saw Bruce come out of the building and approach the car. He stopped when he saw the four men on the ground. He opened the driver's door and sat down. He closed the door and looked at Link.

"Did you see what happened over there? Those guys are in pretty rough shape."

Link looked over and acted as though this was the first time he had seen them.

"They do look kind of beat up. There must have been a fight or something."

"Surely you noticed something that close to the car."

"No, didn't notice a thing. I drifted off for a while so I must have missed it."

"We're lucky they didn't damage the car."

Link looked out the window and smiled.

"We certainly are" he whispered.

"What was that?" Bruce said.

"Nothing, Bruce. Just kind of stunned I didn't hear anything."

Bruce cast a suspicious eye on Link, but decided to let it go. If what he was thinking was true, then it just proved Link's value as a crime fighter. If it wasn't, then it made no real difference.

Bruce then pulled out of his parking space and drove out of the parking lot and back out onto the street. The car sped through the streets and headed back to Wayne Manor.

Lanim paced the floor of the hideout in anticipation. Killer Croc and Two-Face were in there with him and sat off on their own. Lanim had heard of another two alliances that Joker had brought in and was growing desperate to meet them. Joker finally entered the room.

"Hello, oh mighty one" Joker said in a sarcastic tone.

He bowed to Lanim in a mocking fashion. He stood back up and held his arms out at shoulder height as if presenting something.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, the newest members to this wonderful little all-star team-"

"Get on with it, Joker!" Lanim barked.

"Party pooper. Fine then. Here's Scarecrow and my own little sweetheart, Harley."

Lanim saw a man carrying a scythe with a hood over his head and a blank-faced mask with the likeness of a scarecrow, hence the name.

"Greetings, thing of nightmares. It is truly a pleasure to meet one such as you." Lanim instantly liked this Scarecrow.

"You're called Scarecrow, correct? I must say, you impress me."

"Thank you, master of fear. You must assist me with my research sometime."

"Perhaps another time, Scarecrow. And who are you?" Lanim asked, addressing the woman standing next to the Joker, clutching his arm.

She was dressed much like a clown herself, almost like a jester, or a harlequin, hence her name, Harley Quinn.

"I'm Mr.J's sweetie, Harley Quinn. He's just the best guy there ever was."

"Isn't she a doll?" asked Joker.

Lanim just shook his head.

"Whatever, Joker. If she'll help you, then it will help me to have her with us."

Killer Croc suddenly stepped in between them.

"Hey ghost, I have to tell you something. I just got word back from a bunch of my guys. I guess there are only a couple others interested in your offer. Most of them turned you down."

"It doesn't matter, Killer Croc. I have enough allies for my cause, anyway."

"Hey, who says we're working for you?"

It was then that Lanim decided to prove to them why he should be in charge. He charged up some of Midna's stolen power and summoned forth a swirling black vortex. The vortex churned up wind as fast as that of a hurricane.

Everyone in the hideout was being blown back and the underground lair shook and shuddered as the structural integrity was beginning to become compromised. Croc bore the brunt of it and was flung against the wall. The rest held on to the walls and open sewer grates. The wind suddenly stopped.

"That is but a fraction of what I am capable of. Do not tempt me, lizard. You will listen to me or you will learn my true power. Is that understood?"

Killer Croc nodded slowly as he got up, obviously dazed.

"And the rest of you, will you now follow my goal? Will you work for me?"

Everyone there agreed. But almost as soon as Lanim had finished his question, a large group of Croc's men had suddenly been frozen solid. Around the corner stepped a large man in a metallic suit. He had a clear glass helmet that showed his blue-skinned and bald head. Mr. Freeze had arrived.

"No parlour trick is going to make me follow you. But Croc's man told me that you're going to fry the Bat."

"He must be dealt with, yes. Would that make you follow me?"

"Not necessarily follow you, but I will do anything for revenge against the Bat."

"Good. Welcome to our alliance, stranger."

"Call me Mr. Freeze if you want to speak to me."

"Very well, Mr. Freeze. Don't mind me, but I like you."

"Why is that?"

"You've got power. You've got hatred and anger. You are just what I need."

"Forgive me if I'm not flattered, but I really don't care what you think."

Lanim let that comment go for now, not wanting to lose this powerful ally. Lanim turned around to face the door, but turned his head to speak to Mr. Freeze. He walked towards the door as he spoke.

"Tell me, have you heard of any others who wish to join me?"

"Ask your lizard patsy, here. I wouldn't know something like that."

Croc spoke up as loud as he could.

"Riddler is coming. He said he would, anyway."

He then turned to Mr. Freeze.

"You'd better watch yourself, you brain-frozen tin man."

"No, Croc. I think it's you who needs to watch yourself."

Lanim then left this sewer chamber to climb up to the building above. He left Gotham's villains to bicker amongst themselves. Besides, Lanim thought, the time has almost come for the first stage toward his ultimate goal to take place.


	8. To Merge Light and Shadow

Chapter 8: To Merge Light and Shadow

The villains gathered in the sewers once again. Their final recruit, the Riddler, was to arrive and Lanim had said that he would begin the first phase of his plan. Riddler wasn't known for his grand entrances so they weren't expecting anything big. All any of them expected was for him to announce himself with an easy riddle, and ask for it to be solved, and that was about it.

What they assumed would be correct. In fact, almost immediately after they set foot in the sewer, they heard a voice from the darkness.

"Riddle me this. What has a river but no water, a city yet no buildings, and a forest yet no trees?"

Lanim turned around to face the direction the voice had come from and addressed its owner.

"Nobody is here to play games. Are you the Riddler or aren't you?"

"Answer or I leave."

"A map!"

Lanim spat almost cutting Riddler's sentence off. Riddler stepped into the dim light the sewers provided and Lanim finally got a look at the man.

Riddler turned his nose up and said "you could've chosen a better place to meet."

"And you could've shown up without that ridiculous costume of yours and kept your mouth shut."

Riddler had no retort for this. He simply decided to meekly walk over to the group of villains and await Lanim's address.

"Now" he began " I have gathered you all here for a reason. Do you know what that reason is?"

"It had better be a good one" Two-Face replied. "We've been waiting around and waiting around. You'd better be telling us that you've got something cooking."

Lanim shot a sharp look toward Two-Face and looked him straight in the eye. He walked toward him slowly.

"You are in no position to be making threats to me. Do I need to demonstrate my power further?"

Two-Face just started at him blankly.

"Well? Do I?"

"No you don't" Two-Face said quietly.

"Good. However, Two-Face is right. I am here to tell you that I do indeed have something 'cooking' as he so eloquently put it. I am here to infuse you all with your own power. This will protect you from becoming spirits when we perform the next step."

"What's the next step, Ghosty? Are we all going to have a nice little tea party?" Joker asked in his typical sarcastic manner.

"I will explain that when we get there. All right, prepare yourselves. You are all about to infused with powerful shadow magic. Do not worry, my power is more than enough to be spread equally among you all. In fact, barely even a fraction will be taken from me and it will not be noticeable at all."

"Why would we worry about you? We don't care. Just get on with it" came the reply from Two-Face.

Lanim was on the verge of losing his patience.

"Fine!"

He held his arms forward and thousands upon thousands of shadow particles flew from his hands and infused itself into the bodies of all the villains standing there. It only took a few seconds before he was done.

"I don't feel any different" Scarecrow said.

"And you won't. But once the next step is completed, you will begin to feel the power flowing through you. Only the power of perpetual twilight will do that."

No one in the room had the slightest idea what Lanim was talking about.

"Now, the next step shall require us to move to the highest possible ground in the city when the moon reaches its zenith."

"The bat will be there in the middle of the night" Mr. Freeze said. "He will surely be after us."

"Do not fret, I can deal with the 'bat'. Where is the highest point of this city?"

Joker knew precisely where that was. In fact, they all did but he was the most familiar with it. He had been up there on numerous occasions and even had an encounter with the Batman.

"You're looking for Wayne Tower, Ghosty. And I can get you there, lickity split!" he said, enthusiastically.

"Ain't Mr. J the sweetest?" Harley chimed in.

"Yes, I suppose he is. Joker you lead me to this tower whenever the moon reaches its zenith."

"You ask for a full moon?" asked the Riddler. "Because you're in luck. Tonight is that night when the moon is at its fullest."

Lanim smiled.

"Very good. We've but a few hours before that time arrives. We should leave now. Joker, lead the way."

Joker happily walked over to the ladder and climbed up and out of the manhole. The others followed him and soon they were all outside the abandoned building above. They all got into various vehicles and the Joker drove off first with the others in pursuit.

After only a few minutes, they had reached the tower. And, luckily for Lanim, night had already fallen. The moon was beginning to rise in the sky. He got out of the vehicle and looked at the Joker.

"After you, my ghostly chum." Lanim walked forward, craned his neck to look at the top of the tower, and an evil smile slowly crept across his face. It wouldn't be long now.

As Bruce sat in his cave, he could hear calls coming in on his police scanner like mad. All manner of alarms were sounding off all around him. He monitored the 911 calls to the police and found them pouring in like he'd never seen before.

"What on Earth is happening?" Alfred asked him. Bruce didn't answer as he raced to his batsuit.

When he put it on he said "Go get Link. Do it quickly."

Alfred didn't need to be told twice as he rode the elevator back up into Wayne Manor. He ran all the way up to the guest room and burst into Link's room.

"Master Link! Master Bruce has requested your presence immediately!"

"What's wrong?"

"I've no idea, all I know is that something is gravely wrong indeed. Please go! And move quickly!"

Link, having already changed back into his tunic, grabbed his sword and shield and attached them to his back. He then ran after Alfred and they made it to the elevator in seconds. They reached the batcave and Bruce was already in the Batmobile.

As soon as he saw Link he said "get in!" Link didn't hesitate and jumped into the car. The door was barely closed before the roaring engine of the Batmobile had revved up and the car took off like lightning.

"What's going on?" Link asked.

"That ghost of yours has gathered a large band of the city's worst criminals and they are on top of Wayne Tower. No one has any idea what they are doing but the city is in frenzy. Everyone is panicking and we have to stop whatever they're doing."

"If that Twili is involved, he must be making his move."

No more words were spoken as the Batmobile raced through the streets of Gotham.

They had reached the tower in minutes and both were in shock and awe of the sight that beheld them.

They saw Lanim, and his villain recruits, standing atop the tower. Lanim had his hands raised to the bright full moon. That wasn't what awed them.

They saw the light of the moon slowly fading and flickering and the world around them beginning to change. Not only that, but above him was a massive portal, swirling around. Little black particles were flying out and they began to form into a humanoid shape.

"We have to get up there!" said the Batman.

"There isn't enough time. This world is soon to be plunged into perpetual twilight."

"What does that mean?" Batman asked, confused.

"I don't have any time to explain. Every inhabitant of this world will be turned into spirits, yourself included."

"What about you?"

"I turn into... something else. Look, you'll be of no use to this city as a mere spirit. There must be some way to prevent that."

"Yes, we get up there and stop them!"

"It's far too late for that. We'll never reach them in time!"

The moon's light grew fainter by the second and as it did, Link felt his left hand pulsate with power. An idea suddenly struck him.

"Batman, take my left hand!" he said, as he extended his hand toward him.

"What?"

"Just do it! It's the only thing that might work!"

Batman extended his hand and grasped Link's in a manner almost like that of the handshake they shared when they had first met. As the last remnants of the moon's light faded, the world actually became slightly lighter, like that of the dawn or the dusk.

Black particles were floating everywhere, and the panicking citizens of Gotham disappeared almost completely, nothing but little green flames were left.

Link and Batman stood there still, until power surged through Link's hand. Batman felt this power too and it began to flow through their entire bodies. Both collapsed to the ground, and Link held on to Batman's hand for dear life.

Soon, they both passed out and lay down on the ground. Within moments, however, Link was awake once more.

He looked himself over and saw his familiar wolf form, the mix of black and grey, the manacle on his right foreleg.

He then looked in the direction of the Batman, praying to the Gods that it had worked. When he looked there, he did not see a spirit. Nor did he see what one would expect from a man called the Batman. What he saw lying on the ground next to him was yet another wolf.

Link was confused by this. This wolf looked similar to Link only his entire body was black. Link stared as the eyes of the wolf shot open. They were sharp, with a piercing gaze. What startled him was the colour. They were yellow, like that of a real black wolf.

The wolf got up and shook himself. He then looked in Link's direction and jumped back, snarling.

"A wolf? What happened to Link?"

Link recognized the voice of Bruce Wayne.

"It's all right, Bruce. I'm right here."

"Where? I can't see you."

"Right in front of you."

"Where, behind the wolf?"

"I am the wolf, Bruce. And so are you, apparently."

Bruce looked down at himself and jumped back again.

"What? What is this? What happened?"

"Don't worry, Bruce. This is the form I take in the realm of perpetual twilight. I guess I somehow shared that power with you. It explains why you're a wolf too."

"That really doesn't explain anything. And where has everyone in the city gone?"

There was no time to answer Bruce's question because their attention was drawn back to Wayne Tower. Lanim and his recruits were still there, but their presence was overshadowed by someone far more significant.


	9. King of Evil

Chapter 9: King of Evil

As Link and Bruce watched from the ground, the villains atop Wayne Tower were watching the shadowy form of a large man slowly stand up. Power emanated from this man and the villains simply stared.

Lanim couldn't help but crack a smile as he saw the great dark lord.

"It is good to finally meet you, Ganondorf."

The dark figure turned toward Lanim and opened his eyes. They were yellow and the malevolent nature of his being was magnified tenfold by those dark, yellow eyes. As he looked Lanim up and down, confusion entered his mind.

"What's this? You're a Twili. But you're not Zant. He's been destroyed."

"No, dark lord, I am not Zant but I was loyal to him, and to you. And I have done far more for you than he was ever capable of" Lanim stated in reply.

"Yes, I can see that. Even he would not have been capable of such a feat. How did you do it?" Ganondorf asked.

"By stealing the power of the Twilight Princess Midna, I was able to recruit some help and resurrect your spirit from oblivion."

Ganon raised an eyebrow when Lanim had finished speaking.

"You are indeed a crafty one. What are you called?"

"My name is Lanim, great dark one" Lanim answered.

Ganondorf surveyed his surroundings.

"Where am I? And who are these fools?" Ganon asked, indicating Gotham's most notorious.

"Nobody calls me a fool!" Riddler stated as he stepped forward.

"I don't care who you are, I am nobody's fool!"

Ganon sighed and then lunged and grabbed the Riddler by the throat. He held him over the edge of the tower.

"I gave you too much credit in calling you a fool! There are few who have ever stood up to me in such a manner and lived to tell about it. Have you any idea whom you are trifling with?"

The top of the Triforce mark on Ganon's hand glowed brightly as he held the Riddler. He suddenly stopped and threw Riddler back to the top of the roof.

"There is another piece of the Triforce in this world. It is nearby. Could it be?"

Ganon searched the ground below and saw two wolves standing a few metres from the bottom of the tower.

"I knew it! That boy is here. Lanim!"

The Twili stepped up next to Ganondorf.

"Yes? What can I do for you, master?"

"Take your recruits and spread out. I have a plan for that boy."

He suddenly realized that he saw _two_ wolves on the ground.

"Who is that with the boy?"

"He is the guardian of this world, dark lord. We shall have to eradicate him as well."

"Yes, we will. It will make things more difficult. Like I said, take those recruits of yours and spread out through this world. I need some time."

"Time for what, master?"

"Don't question me!" the Demon King raged "Just do as I say!"

Lanim quickly gathered Gotham's villains together at the other side of the roof.

"Every one of you must spread out. Establish a base and prepare yourselves for the arrival of the Divine Beast and the bat!"

"Who says?" Two-Face retorted "This oversized magician?"

Ganon overheard this but decided to let it slide for now.

"You will respect the dark lord, Ganondorf! He is the greatest evil mind this world or any other has ever known! Obey me, or face obliteration!"

Two-Face remembered Lanim's demonstration and decided to comply.

"Fine. But I don't have to like it."

Joker stepped forward after Two-Face finished.

"You know, ghosty, I like this new guy. He's got a lot of spunk, get-up-and-go, I like the cut of his jib. Get it? So why should I listen to a chump like you? I think Harley and I will stay right here with him, won't you sweetums?"

"Anything you say, Mr. J!"

Lanim was losing his patience.

"Joker, you must do as I say, now! Don't make me destroy you!"

It was at this point that Ganon interfered.

"Lanim, stand down. I like this one. I wish him to stay. But the girl, she isn't cut out for this. You go with her in his place."

"What? You can't take Mr. J away from me!" said Harley, incredulous.

"Sorry, dear, nothing personal, it's just that old Ganny here would make a fine partner. You understand, of course?"

Lanim was equally as incredulous, but wouldn't dare to speak back to Ganondorf.

"Yes, master. Harley, accompany me. The rest of you, find a base to set yourselves up and prepare to put an end to this pair of heroes."

All of the villains except Harley and Joker began to make their way down to the ground level via the roof access to Wayne Tower. Lanim looked listlessly at Ganon before taking hold of Harley's arm and pulling her along and down the ladder following the other villains. When the roof hatch closed, Ganon turned to the Joker.

"You are called Joker, correct?"

"Don't wear out the name, Ganny."

"Yes, right. Well, Joker, would you accompany me for a while? Those fools should buy us enough time for, well, I'll tell you when we get to that point."

"Whatever you say, Ganny. Off we go!"

Joker cackled after that and the two of them disappeared in a flash of lightning. Link and Batman witnessed this whole ordeal take place from the ground.

"They're coming down here. Best if we head back to your cave" Link said.

"We can't get in without the car and I can't drive like this."

"Well, then we'll head back to your house."

"They know who we are. We stick out like sore thumbs. If they see us entering my house, then my secret will be exposed!"

"Aren't you a master of stealth? Come on now!"

"I'm a master of stealth as a human, not an animal."

Link shook his head and started losing patience.

"Look, the point is, we can't stick around here. Let's just move. I'll figure out a way back to the Batcave."

Link turned around and started running. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew they needed to disappear fast. Batman hesitated, but then quickly followed suit.


	10. Fear is His Weapon

Chapter 10: Fear is His Weapon

Link ran on for what felt like ages. He had no idea where he would go, but he just felt the need to keep moving. He came to a stop when he spotted the Gotham Cemetery.

"Perhaps that will make a good place to hide."

Bruce stopped running when he reached Link's side. His senses recoiled when he came upon the stench of death.

As the Batman he had seen and been through many things, but he was not used to having senses as strong as those of a wolf. He could smell the graveyard from outside its walls. With the smell of death being far more potent than he had ever smelled it before, he was slightly hesitant. But his iron will took over from there as he just told himself to deal with it.

"It's the best place I can think of at the moment. Let's get in there and try to come up with a plan."

As the two wolves entered the graveyard, they were being watched from afar. Across the street in a third story window, a figure watched these wolves enter the cemetery and instantly knew who they were.

"The game is set. The time is nigh. Let fear overcome them."

He disappeared back into the building and set his destination for the graveyard. Link and Batman entered an open crypt and lay down on the stone floor.

"This is quite a place to convene" Batman said.

"We had no other choice. Anywhere else in this city and we'd be sitting ducks."

"True enough. So, what do we do now?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know" Link replied. "I've been thinking since we left the tower and I can't come up with any way to get to your house without being spotted. Don't you have some sort of alternative way of getting back?"

Bruce had to think about this for awhile.

When he changed into a wolf, his primal instincts began to take over. Link was used to this feeling so he knew how to put it aside, but Bruce was not. While he was still Bruce Wayne, the Batman, part of his thoughts had been clouded with the instincts of a wolf. His crime fighting instincts were being overshadowed by the instinct to survive that thrives in all wolves. Such a place did indeed exist, and he never had the time to share its whereabouts with Link. As he thought about it, he managed to clear his mind and focus. Such a thing was easy for him when he put his mind to it, but his wolf form dominated his human mind so it was more difficult this time. As he thought, he hit on it.

"Of course. There's always an alternative. Unfortunately, it's quite far off. If we cut through the middle of this cemetery, though, we will save a lot of time."

"Where is it?"

"It is in a small, insignificant alley in the suburbs. Come on, I'll lead this time."

Batman darted out of the crypt and Link quickly followed. As soon as they left, the crypt was draped in shadow and a ghostly figure appeared where they had been moments before. Its face looked like the familiar mask of the Scarecrow with its glowing orange eyes. Only now he had his own dark power given to him by Lanim.

He now resembled the grim reaper himself, Death, more than anything. He even carried his scythe as is well known to both figures of fear. But now he did not need his toxin, all he needed was his dark magic and he could cast any he chose into their worst nightmares.

As Link and Batman travelled, the ghostly Scarecrow followed. He would not act until he had made his presence known and that was just what he was about to do. He swooped down in front of the two heroes and they both jumped back as they saw him go by.

"What was that?" asked Link as he saw the ghostly thing pass.

Bruce simply growled at the thing's presence.

"Batman, what is it?"

"It's Scarecrow. Something's happened to him. He's even more dangerous than before."

Suddenly and without warning, Link was hit with a blast of energy and found himself back in Hyrule.

"What? How did this happen? Where's Bruce? Where's the graveyard?"

He looked himself over and he was back to his human form. As he stood there, dumbstruck, he could feel heat building up behind him. He turned around and sheer terror hit him like a tidal wave.

His home village of Ordon was burning. It was no ordinary fire, either. This fire engulfed every last inch of the village. The tip of the flames reached as high as the eye could see and Link stood stock still. He was frozen with the sheer gravity of what was happening before him.

He snapped out of it when he heard the scream of a woman from within the blaze. They were coming from his house. He ran to his house, shielding himself from the fire, and managed to get to the door. He tried to open it, but it was blocked by debris. He could hear the screams of this woman getting louder with each passing moment. He looked in through the window of the door and caught a glimpse of who was screaming. It was a woman he barely recognized, but he instantly knew who it was.

"Mother? Hold on, mother! I'm coming!"

As soon as he shouted, the top of the tree that his house was on gave off a loud crack. It was ablaze and it came crashing down on top of him and everything went black.

**-Batman-**

While Link was in another world, Bruce was in another time. He had gone back to the past. He was but a young boy again. He was still in the graveyard and stood in front of his parent's grave. All the emotions of the day came flooding back to him but he held them in check.

He had been poisoned with Scarecrow's toxin before so he knew how to deal with these living nightmares. This was different, of course, because of Scarecrow's black magic, but he knew what was happening just the same. He turned away from his parent's grave and started looking around.

There was always some symbol in these nightmares that represented sanity. To keep from losing one's mind and going mad, there was always something hidden. In Bruce's case, this always had something to do with the Batman.

As he looked around for his salvation, he could hear the ground breaking behind him. He turned around and saw a fist breaking through the dirt in front of his parent's grave. More of the ground began to give way and soon a pale figure of Thomas Wayne was crawling out of the hole he had created.

Bruce didn't want to look but he was too drawn in by his father's face. Since the day they died, he sorely missed them and he always wished to see their faces again. His father walked forward through the mist that now coated the graveyard with a ghostly allure.

He stopped in front of his son and said "How could you, son? We gave you life and you took ours away! What kind of monster are you?"

Of course, Thomas Wayne would never have said something like that; this was Bruce's subconscious talking. He would forever blame himself for his parent's death. Bruce simply turned and ran away. He knew he couldn't give in to this. He had to find a way out of the nightmare.

He tried to resist, but as he ran he looked behind him and saw his mother, Martha, emerge from the grave as well. He then heard a voice that spoke as if it were right beside him.

"It's time you joined us, Bruce. We can be a family again."

Bruce continued running, resisting the urge to run back to his mother's calming voice. He ran into the streets of Gotham and suddenly heard thunder. Then a torrential downpour began with more rain than Bruce had ever seen. He saw his ghostly parents following him, so he turned down an alleyway. As he rounded the corner, he saw before him the back door to a theatre.

"No, not here. Not again."

As he looked to the door, he saw it open and three figures stepped out. They looked to be a wealthy family. Sure enough, the two adults he saw were his parents, but the child that was with them looked nothing like Bruce.

To his horror, as he looked closer, he saw the mask of the Scarecrow on this child's face. As he stared at the child, he saw him pull a gun out of his coat pocket. Bruce ran forward as soon as he saw the gun. He would not let them die again but something strange was happening.

The door and his parents were now suddenly further away than before and as he ran, he couldn't seem to get any closer. Just as he thought he was making progress toward them, he saw the child turn around and point the gun at his mother.

"Not again. I won't let you die again!"

He ran even harder to try and reach the child, but he was still too far to do anything. The child pulled the trigger and his mother let out a scream and fell to the ground. Moments later, the child, pointing the gun at his father, put a bullet in him as well. He fell to the ground, clutching at his chest.

Bruce finally reached the child and he turned around. He aimed the gun squarely at Bruce. Bruce stopped and glared furiously at the child. The child spoke and had Scarecrow's voice.

"Time to join them, Bruce."

Time slowed as the child pulled the trigger and Bruce leapt at him. As Bruce flew through the air, he felt pain in his shoulder and the child disappeared. He landed roughly on the ground next to his parent's bodies. He rolled onto his back and just a few feet in front of him, he saw the ghostly images of his parents that had been pursuing him.

**-Link-**

Link had suddenly been transported to Hyrule Castle. The burning village and the crumbling tree were gone and he walked forward. He was in the Hyrule Castle of old and he saw a staircase in front of him. He ascended the stairs and approached the throne room.

The room was filled with a thick and dark fog. He recognized this scene as the place of his last battle with Ganondorf. He looked to the throne and expected to see him there, but there was no one sitting on the throne. Zelda was nowhere to be found and Midna did not appear. Suddenly, a form materialised before him. It was Midna in her imp form with her back to him.

"Midna, what's going on? I was just in a city and suddenly I got transported here. Please help me. I have no idea what is going on."

Midna simply floated in the air and did not stir when Link spoke.

"Midna, please" he put a hand on her shoulder and she turned around.

What he saw was not Midna's face but that of a brown mask, with glowing orange eyes. An unfamiliar voice spoke to him.

"This land of yours is doomed!"

After the voice spoke, Link suddenly turned into particles of shadow and found himself in Hyrule Field once again. He was surrounded by a barrier and Ganondorf was on the other side. Only this time, he held Midna's helmet in one hand, and had Zelda by the throat in the other.

He crushed Midna's helmet, just as he had done before. Then, in his right hand, the top of his Triforce mark glowed brightly and he pulled his sword out of thin air. Link clutched at his back for the Master Sword and found himself clutching at thin air. He looked back and, to his horror, he found nothing there.

As Ganon raised his sword, Link decided that, sword or no sword he would save Hyrule's princess.

As he ran forward, Ganondorf motioned with his left hand and three ghostly figures of demons riding horses appeared and rushed him, knocking him to the ground. He saw Ganondorf run his sword through Zelda's stomach.

He got up and rushed Ganon again. Both he and Zelda disappeared as he reached them. He heard steps from behind him and saw Ganondorf standing there, alone, with sword in hand. He raised his left hand again and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, he was gripping Ilia by the throat.

"No, not Ilia! Let her go, Ganondorf! This is between you and me!"

Ganondorf simply laughed as he ran his sword straight through Ilia as well. He threw her limp body aside and she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ganondorf slowly approached Link and stopped. Holding his sword to Link's throat.

"Some hero you turned out to be. You couldn't save any of these people. You didn't save this land. You are a failure, Link."

Link couldn't stand it. He could feel himself losing control.

"No, this isn't possible. I stopped you. Zelda, Ilia, Midna, Hyrule, they're all safe."

Ganondorf laughed again as he thrust his sword forward and Link's vision went black once more.

**-Batman-**

Bruce got up and ran past his parents' ghostly shadows. He refused to listen to anything they said. He needed to find that symbol. This nightmare needed to end now. He could feel his mind starting to slip away into the Scarecrow's nightmare. He needed to get out of this. He had to do it for Gotham and for Link.

He suddenly realized that Link must be experiencing something similar. He wasn't used to it so he wouldn't know how to react. He only hoped Link's mind was strong enough to last until Bruce could reach him.

He scoured the city and ran as fast as he could, his ghostly parents pursuing him and haunting him everywhere he went. He suddenly looked to the sky and saw it. There it was, the Bat Signal. It was coming from the top of Wayne Tower.

He ran on ahead, thinking only of the signal and nothing else. Nothing would distract the Dark Knight from his goal. He ran inside and raced to the elevator. As the doors closed, the Scarecrow appeared beside him.

"You can't run from your past. Face the facts, your parents are dead and it's all your fault."

Bruce wouldn't look at him and refused to listen to him.

Outside of these nightmares, the Scarecrow was watching the two of them intently as they ran all over the cemetery. He noticed the darker wolf had a different look in his eye than the other. He knew instantly that the Batman was still able to fight his nightmare.

"The bat. Maybe I'll up the ante a little bit."

He focused more intently on Batman and concentrated more of his dark power toward him.

In the elevator, Bruce was doing his best to ignore the Scarecrow and the elevator was nearly to the top when the ghostly image of his parents appeared. He jumped to the back of the elevator and his parents advanced toward him.

"You let us die, Bruce" said his father.

"It's time for you to join your family, son" said his mother.

With that, they disappeared and the elevator shook and then lurched downward. He was suddenly in a freefall. He looked up and saw the Batman symbol on a grate at the top. He jumped to knock it off but found that he was too short to reach it. As the elevator continued falling, he made one last effort to make the jump.

He concentrated hard and suddenly the young boy grew into a full-sized man dressed like a bat. He reached the grate and punched through it. Realizing that he was now the Batman again, he pulled out his grappling hook and fired it to the top of the building. He pulled himself away from the falling elevator and ascended to the top of the building.

He made his way to the roof hatch and burst through it. He ran for the bat signal when his parents appeared behind him. He hated to do it, but knew that this was all just a nightmare.

He turned the bat signal toward his parents and shined it directly at them. The ghostly apparitions both disappeared into a dark cloud that turned into a swarm of bats. He wasn't yet finished, though.

The bat signal suddenly began to take on a different shape. It pointed itself toward the sky and the signal that showed itself was that of the Scarecrow's face. He pulled a batarang out and threw it at the light source of the signal and it shattered and exploded in a shower of sparks.

The world began to fade around him and he was in Gotham Cemetery once again. He looked around and saw Scarecrow watching him intently. He quickly ran away until he knew he was out of the Scarecrow's sight. He frantically looked around for Link.

Suddenly, Bruce heard a howling in the distance and followed its sound. He reached Link and saw from the look of him that his mind was nearly gone. He ran to his side and began speaking softly to him.

"Link, listen to me. This is just a nightmare. Find the symbol of your sanity. Link, can you hear me? Look for a symbol."

Link stood frozen in terror and did not react when Bruce spoke to him.

**-Link-**

He was in Kakariko this time. Only it was completely destroyed and burned to the ground. He found Colin lying face down on the ground and ran over to him.

"Colin, are you all right? Colin?"

Colin spoke but did not lift his head.

"I told them you'd save us. I said you were a hero. Why didn't you save us, Link? Why weren't you there?"

"I'm sorry, Colin. I'm sorry I couldn't be here."

Then Colin looked up and he saw that same face again.

"You! What do you want with me? Why won't you leave me alone?"

"The madness will take you soon, failed hero."

Then Link suddenly heard another voice. A soft voice, a friendly voice, whispering in his ear.

"Find the symbol, Link. Do you hear me? Find your sanity. This is not real; it's a nightmare. Find the symbol of your sanity."

"Bruce. Where? Where do I look? Bruce, speak to me. What symbol? Where do I find it?"

Link heard Colin get up and he turned around.

"You can't save yourself; you couldn't even save your friends. What hope is there left for you?"

Link remembered what Bruce said and said to himself

"No, this isn't happening. This isn't real."

Colin continued speaking, but Link just ignored and him and pushed past.

**-Batman-**

Bruce continued speaking to Link and found him calming down. Link had stopped trembling and his vision began to clear.

"Yes, Link. Find that symbol. Free yourself from the nightmare."

As he spoke, Scarecrow found the two of them.

"So, you're still able to fight my nightmares, eh Bats?"

Batman turned around when he heard the dark and ghastly voice. On Link's left forepaw, the lower right part of the Triforce mark began to glow, and Batman felt power begin to surge through him. He felt warmth inside of him and his lips curled into a snarl. He glared at the ghostly Scarecrow and leapt for him.

**-Link-**

As Link walked through the tattered remains of Kakariko, he spotted something in the distance. He saw a small patch of forest and a stone altar in the middle. There was a hole in the canopy of trees that let the sun shine down onto this altar. On the altar sat a pedestal. Stuck in this pedestal is where the great Blade of Evil's Bane sat.

"A symbol. That must be it. That is the symbol of my sanity."

Link broke into a sudden run and headed straight for the Master Sword. Ganondorf appeared in front of him but Link ran straight at him. He lowered his shoulder and caught the King of Evil in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Ilia suddenly appeared in front of him and he stopped.

He studied her face and looked her in the eye. Just like his vision at Lanayru's spring, her eyes lacked colour and were nothing but white orbs. She held one hand behind her back and he knew that she was concealing a knife, staying consistent with the old vision.

"You are not Ilia and you will not control me. I am in complete control of my mind. Be gone!"

Ilia suddenly disappeared and Link saw the Master Sword displayed directly in front of him.

**-Batman-**

Batman was just as fierce a fighter as a wolf as he was in his human form. He kept leaping and snapping at the ghostly Scarecrow and each time, he was surprised to actually bite down onto something. It wasn't human flesh but it was something supernatural. With the power of the Triforce surging through him, he was able to wear down the black Twili magic that Scarecrow possessed. His form was growing weaker and weaker. Soon, he would join the rest of Gotham as a mere spirit wandering the perpetual twilight.

He fought back with his scythe but it was doing him no good. He'd slice and slash away at the black wolf leaping at him, but the Batman was always quick enough to move away from him. As Scarecrow took another swing with his scythe, the Batman grabbed it in his jaws. He bit down hard and with a loud snap, the handle broke in two. Batman tossed the scythe aside and took one final leap toward Scarecrow.

**-Link-**

Link withdrew the Master Sword and turned around. There he saw Zelda, only she was dressed in black and her eyes were blood red.

"You would kill the princess of your kingdom?" said that same dark voice that had been taunting him throughout this nightmare.

"You are not my princess and you shall not take me!"

He ran forward and swung the Master Sword at Zelda's torso and it connected. This dark version of Zelda shone in a vibrant golden colour and she disappeared in a shower of golden sparks. Then, Ganon appeared before him.

"You've done my work and killed the princess. You have failed again, hero."

"You are not Ganondorf. I will be free of this nightmare!"

He charged forward and plunged the Master Sword into Ganon's chest. A white light emanated from the Demon King's chest and it grew brighter until everything around him went white.

When his vision cleared, Link was no longer in Hyrule. He was back in Gotham Cemetery. He was a wolf once again and the world was locked in perpetual twilight. He looked to his left and saw the battle going on between Batman and Scarecrow.

After Batman made his leap, Link ran forward and leapt at Scarecrow as well. Together, with the power of the Triforce, they extinguished Scarecrow's remaining dark power. When everything had settled, they both looked up and no longer saw the Scarecrow's ghostly form. This time, they only a saw a little green flame. Scarecrow was now a spirit of the perpetual twilight.

Batman looked to his right and saw Link standing there.

"I knew you were strong enough."

"Thank you for bringing me back. We should get going. Lead the way."

Without another word, the two turned around and headed for the batcave. With one less villain to worry about, the two of them felt some hope. They knew how to save the city.


	11. Bridge Over Troubled Water

Chapter 11: Bridge Over Troubled Water

When the two of them reached the secret entrance to the batcave, they encountered another problem. There was no way to get it open. The entrance's scanners were programmed to recognize the body of the Batman, not a wolf. He couldn't manually open it either without human hands to reach the hidden control panel. They both stared at the brick building for a few moments.

"Well now what do we do?" asked Link.

The Batman was silent as he tried concentrating. He used every one of his honed wolf senses in the hopes of finding a way into the batcave. Link realized what he was doing and began concentrating as well. They both walked off in opposite directions when Link hit on it.

"Over here, Bruce."

Bruce ran to Link's location and found a brick sitting slightly off center from the rest of them only about a foot above their heads.

"What's this? I've never noticed it before."

As Bruce looked closer, he could see the initials "A.P." carved into the brick.

"Alfred. He left me a third backup option. That man has saved me more times than I can count." Bruce leapt up and put his left paw up to the brick. It moved when he reached it and a portion of the wall suddenly shifted backwards and then moved aside revealing a doorway and a path leading inside.

"Follow me, Link."

The two of them entered the cave together. Once they were inside, the doors closed once more and plunged the two of them into darkness. Of course, being wolves, their eyes adjusted quickly and they were able to see clearly to find the way forward.

It took them a little while to crawl through the winding catacombs and find their way to the batcave proper. Once they were back, Bruce spotted a small green flame in front of his enormous monitor. He concentrated hard and could just make out the ghostly form of Alfred.

"Alfred is still watching what's happening."

Bruce called out to him but was surprised when Alfred did not respond.

"He can't hear you, Bruce. He doesn't even know you're here" came the response, but it came from Link.

"It is as if you are in two different worlds yet share the same space."

Bruce just stared at his butler and lifelong guardian. Then he suddenly looked to the giant screen in front of him.

"What's this? He's got almost the whole city map here."

As Bruce looked closer, he could see that Alfred was keeping tabs on the criminals that were spotted atop Wayne Tower. He kept track of their locations with reports coming in on the police scanner and from various news outlets. He had lost communication with Bruce and was trying to find him again.

"What do all those red spots mean?" asked Link.

"Alfred is tracking the movements of the criminals that we saw. Come on, I have an idea."

Bruce ran over to the left side of the monitor and leapt up onto the console on top of one specific button.

"It'll probably puzzle Alfred, but we need a copy of that map."

After a few seconds, a sheet of paper zipped out of a slot just to Bruce's right. He gingerly grasped it in his jaws and laid it on the floor. There were seven spots marked on the map, each with a last known location of one of the criminals Alfred was tracking.

"We can use this map to find our way around the city and stop these criminals. This one here, in the cemetery, is obviously Scarecrow, who we've already taken care of. We just need to go to the various other spots throughout the city."

Batman paused as he looked over the map.

"The only problem is we won't know who we're facing until they're right on top of us."

"Where should we start?" Link asked.

"I think we should start on Arkham Island. There's only one there. That way, at least one portion of the city will be clear. We can work our way across the city from there."

Link then suddenly remembered something Bruce had told him about the island.

"What about the bridge?"

"You're right, Link. The police will have raised the bridge because of the emergency situation."

"Then how do we get onto the island?"

"Well, we could just swim across, but by then time we get there, the trail will have gone cold. I guess our only option is to try and lower the bridge ourselves."

"It may be difficult, but at least we don't have to worry about being spotted, Bruce."

"The only trouble is, someone will be there and is likely to raise it again before we cross."

"Can't we just shut the bridge down, then?" Bruce shook his head.

"In these forms, we don't have access to the panel that shuts the bridge down. We've got to get people away from the bridge controls."

"How do we do that?"

They both looked at the map and Link noticed something.

"Say, there's another spot right next to the island on this map."

Bruce looked and noticed the same thing.

"What are you getting at?"

"I could go after whoever is on this side of the bridge. Hopefully, it creates enough of a disturbance to draw people away from the bridge so you can lower it."

Bruce was reluctant to let Link go off on his own.

"That's far too dangerous, Link. We need to stick together."

"What other choice is there?"

Bruce realized that Link was right. There was no other practical option. But he still had a concern.

"If people can't see us, how can they see any of the criminals?"

"The thing is, Bruce, I'm not sure that they _can_ see the criminals. I'm just hoping that because they are infused with the power of twilight, that people can see them. Like the creatures that attacked in my world."

"Are you really willing to take that chance and risk splitting up?"

"It's worth the risk if it works, Bruce."

Bruce finally relented and agreed to go along with Link's plan.

"All right, Link. We'll give it a shot. Let's go."

Bruce took off into a run back towards the secret entrance and Link quickly followed suit.

In an old, abandoned warehouse there stand two dark figures, deep in discussion.

"You're an interesting fellow, Joker" Ganondorf stated coolly.

"You're obviously a dark one, but I'm puzzled as to your motives. You have no personal ambition, no desire for revenge. What keeps you going?"

"I'm just in it for the fun, Ganny" Joker answered with a laugh.

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow and gave a puzzled look.

"Fun? Is that all? Don't you have any goals? What about wealth? Ruling this realm with an iron fist? There must be something."

"I admit I do like some of the benefits. But it's far too boring to be after something like money. I just can't get enough of the laughs!" Joker said, ending with another insane laugh.

Ganondorf was still puzzled but he realized that this man was, in fact, just insane and interested in having "fun". Joker suddenly spoke up again.

"Say, Ganny, why all the questions?"

"I need to see if I can have any faith in you. I need to know if you can be trusted as an ally."

"Why Ganny, of course I can! The question is can I trust you?"

"Joker, you have no need to worry."

That was all Ganondorf would say. Both of them knew that the other could not be trusted, but neither would let on to that. They would work together for now.

"So, Ganny, what happens now?"

"We need to find Lanim, Joker. He brought me here, so he knows how to get me back to Hyrule."

"Can't you go back yourself, Ganny?"

"If I knew how to get out of this realm, don't you think I'd have done it already? Come, we must hurry. By now, that bat of yours and the kid are on our trail."

Ganondorf put a hand on Joker's shoulder and, in a puff of black smoke; the two of them disappeared once more.

Link and Batman reached the bridge and concentrated on the control center.

"There are three police officers in there with the bridge operator. How will you draw the operator away, Link?"

"It's a bit risky, but I need to draw whoever is near this bridge over here. I hate to do it, but I hope it scares him enough to draw him away."

Bruce thought for a moment and then spoke again.

"We don't need to split up then."

"Not entirely, Bruce. We'll set up an ambush. You hide in the shadows while I face them. When I draw them to the bridge, you jump in and help me fight them off. Then you can lower the bridge."

"I still don't like leaving you alone, but I guess it'll do."

They split off from each other but headed out in the same direction. Link remembered the map location and travelled to the east of the bridge to find one of these villains. He looked back and the bridge was now barely in sight. As he looked forward again, he saw a figure in the window of a nearby apartment building shift and disappear from view.

"Come out here and face me!" he snarled.

Bruce hid behind a car parked at the side of the road. He lay down on the road and watched the scene unfold from the space beneath the car. He watched the apartment building Link had been looking at. He saw a green figure move yet again from a different window.

Link growled as he caught sight of the figure and raised his hackles, ready for anything. Suddenly, a huge figure burst through the front door and roared as it caught sight of Link.

"So, you're the morsel Lanim was talking about? You'll make a fine meal, puppy!"

The menacing words of Killer Croc did not faze Link. He just continued growling as Croc ran forward. When he reached Link, he lunged and reached out to grab him. Link leapt to the side and slashed at Croc's shoulder with his claws. It did little damage to Croc's tough, mutated skin.

"I'll grind you to dust, wolf!"

Croc lunged forward again and Link leapt back this time.

"Stand still and fight!"

Each time Croc lunged forward, Link would move toward the bridge. The progress was slow, but Link was now sure that the police officers would be within earshot of Croc. When he was close enough to see the bridge, he saw three green flames moving rapidly toward Croc.

"Thank goodness they can see him" he said.

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to help Link as mere spirits. At least they drew Croc's attention for a moment. It was then that Link saw the bridge operator peek out from inside the bridge control center. As soon as he caught sight of Killer Croc, he bolted and ran away into the night.

"Now, Batman! The bridge!"

Bruce heard his call and sprung out from behind the car. He sprinted for the bridge control center and got to the main lever. He jumped up to the console and grabbed the lever in his jaws. He pulled back and heard an alarm sounding. He watched as the bridge moved slowly as it made its way to the ground.

He then ran back to Link and leapt onto Croc's back. Croc shook him violently and sent him sprawling to the side. When he noticed the colour of this second wolf, he knew instantly who it was.

"So, you're still after me too, Batman."

Link leapt at Croc with his attention diverted but in one swift motion, Croc swung around and batted Link away with his right arm, sending him sprawling as well. Lanim's dark power had made Croc even stronger and faster than he was before. It was evident he would not be beaten with mere brute force.

Batman leapt at his throat one more time but was swatted away just as easily as before. Link suddenly made a mad dash for the bridge and Croc chased after him. Link ran until he was in the middle of the bridge and stopped. Croc was immediately behind him and swatted at Link again with his huge arm. Link jumped to the side and hit the guard rail, causing a dent.

He remembered many things Bruce had told him about Killer Croc, including how he thrived in the water. But Link knew that if they were to continue, he would have to get Killer Croc out of their way.

He snarled furiously at Killer Croc and he returned the favour with a loud roar. Link did his best to coax Croc to the edge of the bridge, but he seemed to have figured out Link's plan. They were at an impasse as each would not move toward the other, knowing what it would bring. They continued their standoff when Batman entered the fray.

He leapt behind Croc and now there was a wolf on either side of him. Croc turned around and noticed he was closer to this wolf and couldn't pass up a chance to take down the Batman. He charged forward and Batman leapt aside. Croc couldn't stop his momentum and crashed through the guard rail. But with his quick reflexes, he was able to grab the edge of the bridge with his right hand.

Link raced to the other side and slashed at Croc's free hand, which was met with a roar. But Croc's grip held firm. He began pulling himself up and had his second arm grasping the bridge. As soon as his head appeared, Batman lunged at him and knocked him backwards. Croc lost his grip and suddenly disappeared from view. When Batman looked down over the edge, he could see no evidence that Croc had fallen.

"I can't see him, Link."

Link ran to the other side of the bridge and peered over the edge and into the water.

"He must have fallen, otherwise-" he was interrupted by a great roar and Croc leapt out from underneath the bridge and reached for Batman.

He had clearly saved himself on one of the many crossbeams under the bridge. As he reached for Batman, Link leapt at him and knocked him backwards. Croc began falling again, but not before using his great reach to grab Batman's tail and drag him quickly backwards.

Using all his strength, Link leapt once more at Killer Croc and bit down on the hand that gripped Batman. The pain was enough to force Croc to let go and this time he plunged down to the water below. But Link found that he, too, was no longer on solid ground and began falling down as well. He whirled around in the air and clenched his jaws onto the outstretched, broken guard rail. It bent and broke further with his weight, causing him to fall even further before it stopped.

He was hanging about twenty feet down from the bridge. He knew something would give out it was just a question of which would be first; the guard rail or his jaw. Batman raced over to the edge and saw Link's predicament. In desperation, he grabbed the broken guard rail in his jaws and tried pulling on it. It would not move up any distance at all. But with Link's weight, it threatened to move downward at any moment. Link looked to his left and noticed a maintenance platform about ten feet from him. Batman looked down and noticed the platform as well.

"Try to swing over to it, Link. It's your only chance" Bruce shouted.

Link could feel his strength leaving him so he had to do it now. He began swinging himself back and forth and found the movements of the guard rail were awkward but he was progressing. There was an even bigger risk now, though. The stress of the metal bending again and again was likely to cause the rail to break off entirely and then Link would surely plunge into the harbour.

When he swung forward after a few tries he found he was within jumping distance. He swung backward, and then forward one more time before letting go and leaping at the platform with outstretched legs. He landed roughly and slightly overshot so he collided with the rails on the opposite side of the platform, hitting his head on solid steel. It sent him into a daze but he shook his head and regained his footing. He was on solid ground again, but he was below the bridge.

When he looked to his left he noticed a winding metal staircase leading back up to the bridge itself. He climbed up and found Batman at the top waiting for him. They simply stared at each other silently and then looked down into the water below.

"We might just run into him again, Link. He spends half of his life in the water."

"I'm hoping the impact of the fall inflicted some damage on him. If enough damage was done, he'll turn into a spirit just like the rest of these poor people."

"I don't know if we'll get that lucky" answered Bruce.

Link concentrated on the water and suddenly he noticed something. Underneath he noticed a small green figure but something was strange about it. It was distorted from the water but it seemed too small. When it reached the shore of Arkham Island he then realized why it looked so strange.

"Bruce, look. Over there."

Bruce concentrated on the spot Link had indicated and noticed a small green flame on the shore of Arkham Island. When he concentrated solely on it, he noticed the ghostly image of a very large man with the skin of a crocodile.

"It worked, Link. He is a spirit. The fall did cause him to lose the power. We got lucky on this one."

"In more ways than one" Link replied. "We should continue on to the island."

"I'll get the map, and we can continue."

Bruce had left the map in the bridge's control center. He grabbed it in his jaws and ran back over to Link, who had already begun to make his way toward the island.

"I do have a concern, Bruce."

"What's that?" answered Bruce through gritted teeth, still carrying the map.

"What if they raise the bridge again before we get back to the main city?"

Bruce stopped and dropped the map for a moment.

"Let's not talk about that now. I have my ways. We'll get back to the city, just trust me."

With that, Batman gingerly picked up the map again and the two heroes crossed the bridge onto Arkham Island.


	12. Time for a Riddle

Chapter 12: Time for a Riddle

They were nearing the centre of the island when they stopped. Batman put the map down again and took a long look at it.

"One of them was last spotted near that building there" he said, indicating a small townhouse.

It was evident no one lived in this townhouse, and it was clearly labelled as a storage facility by a sign on the front door. Link looked to the windows to see if anyone was inside, but they were all boarded up. As Link concentrated and stared hard at the building he noticed a strange marking on the door. He stepped up to the front step and looked closer at it. As he jogged his memory of the lesson Bruce gave him of the criminals in the city, he now knew who it was they were about face.

"Batman" he called "I think it's Riddler this time. There's a question mark on the door here."

"That's just his style, too. Leaving you only small indicators of where he might be, then mocking you for your stupidity."

Just as Link was about to step away from the door, he froze. He could sense danger and, for some reason, felt that he shouldn't step away from the door.

"Something's wrong, Bruce."

"What? What's happening?"

"I think there's a trap here."

When Link looked to the ground, he noticed there were small pressure pads all over the step he was standing on and if he moved, the trap would be triggered. Link noticed that either side of the step, there were two buttons. Then, a megaphone came through a slot in the door.

"Riddler's been busy" Batman said.

A voice, filled with arrogance and contempt suddenly began speaking through the megaphone.

"So, you noticed my little trap. Even an idiot could have deciphered that. But can you decipher this riddle? On both sides of you there are buttons. Each button indicates an answer. Choose correctly, and you'll survive. Choose wrong, however, well, I think even you can figure that out."

Link growled as he grew impatient with the Riddler.

"Link, it's just a recording. Don't let it bother you" Batman's stern voice shouted.

Link knew he was just being toyed with and mentally scolded himself for getting rattled.

"Here is what you must solve: What can run but never walks, has a mouth yet never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed yet never sleeps? The choice is yours. You have thirty seconds to answer or you will die anyway. Have fun."

Link looked to his left and noticed that the button had a hose with water flowing out from it. To his right, was a small garden. As he thought, the answer came to him quickly.

"It's a river. This must represent a river."

Link took careful steps to his left and stepped on the button near the hose with running water. A voice came over the megaphone once again.

"Wisely chosen, but that was an easy one. I doubt you're smart enough to find me."

The megaphone disappeared into the opening in the front door once more.

"Link, you need to move now!" Batman shouted.

Link did exactly as he was told and ran back away from the townhouse. The boarded up windows shattered the wood over them and a dark mist came down from the building and engulfed the spot where Link stood. Riddler was using Lanim's magic to make his "games" even more potent and deadly than they were before.

"Just like him to punish you either way. He's always been a terrible liar."

Link shook his head after that experience. He was seasoned in many things but had never quite experienced anything like that.

"I will say one thing, Bruce. At least that was different."

Batman said nothing and the two of them moved on from this building and looked back to the map.

"There's no other indication of where..." Bruce suddenly trailed off and looked up from the map. He could suddenly smell something.

"What's wrong, Bruce?"

Still he wouldn't say anything he just indicated a clothing store directly in front of them. There were two mannequins in the window, one of which was peculiar. It wore a green dress and held a golden staff in its hand. There was a question mark at its top. Link noticed another question mark on the mannequin's torso.

"He's probably in there" said Link.

"If not, he has at least been this way."

Batman walked over to the door and pushed up against it. It only budged slightly but didn't move any further.

"It's locked. Well, I guess we'll have to announce that we're here."

At first, Link didn't know what he meant. But he figured it out as Bruce lined himself up with the window, charged, and leapt straight at it. The window shattered loudly and the store's security system was immediately set off. With these loudly ringing bells, Link found it hard to even think but he jumped through the broken window and followed Batman through.

Batman continued tracking the scent he had picked up and followed it to the back of the store. He walked through the doorway at the back and found himself in a clothing warehouse. Link followed just behind him. Almost as soon as they entered the warehouse, someone began speaking to them.

"So, you've found me out? Of course you haven't. You're just a couple of stray dogs, aren't you?"

They both knew Riddler wouldn't be that foolish.

"I must say, Batman, I've never seen you in quite such a predicament. Of all things, turned into a wolf?"

Batman tried following the voice, but couldn't see the Riddler anywhere.

"Do you see him, Link?"

Link scoured the room but could see nothing but shelves of boxes and racks of clothing. As he rounded a corner, Link caught a glimpse of something green but it disappeared in a flash.

"Well, Batman. Your friend is a sharp one. I watched him decipher my little riddle. Simple as it was, not many would have been able to think under pressure like that. But don't get too full of yourself, wolfie. Your intellect cannot hope to match mine."

Link continued on with the search. When he came to the very back of the warehouse, he caught another glimpse of green, but it vanished yet again.

"It won't be that easy. My little ghostly friend helped me learn some new tricks."

Both of them were growing impatient. They needed to move on from here and take down the rest of the magically charged criminals. Riddler was wasting their time.

As Batman rounded another corner, he finally caught the same glimpse of green that Link had been seeing. He leapt for it, but it vanished just as quickly. Riddler appeared behind him and Batman had no idea. He raised his staff and struck Batman in the head with it. The black wolf stumbled a little bit and then collapsed to the ground.

"How could you be so foolish, Batman? This just goes to show, I'll always be smarter than you."

As he was talking, Riddler didn't notice that someone was behind _him_ now. Link snuck quietly until he was within reach of the Riddler. He suddenly snarled and lunged at Riddler, knocking him to the ground. His golden question mark staff flew from his hands and skidded away under a shelf. Link then dove at him again and closed his jaws on Riddler's right arm. He shook it furiously as Riddler tried in desperation to get the wolf off. He kicked at Link's sides but Link held his grip firm and continued shaking Riddler's arm.

His primal wolf instincts began to take over and rage swept over him. He wanted vengeance for the trap Riddler tried to spring on him. He let go of the arm and quickly made a lunge for Riddler's throat. But Riddler had managed to reach his staff and used it to block Link and deflect him away. Link hit a nearby shelf and boxes of clothes tumbled down on top of him. Riddler quickly got up and disappeared from view once more.

Link, still in a rage, leapt out from underneath the pile of boxes and looked around frantically. He looked back to the spot where Batman had fallen and noticed he was missing. It brought some of Link's sense back, but rage still held him.

"Where are you, Riddler?" he snarled.

Of course, Riddler would only have heard a snarl and not actual words, but the emotion Link conveyed was loud and clear. He noticed that there was a fire escape at the back of the warehouse and it was open. Link charged straight for the door, thinking Riddler must have fled through it. But he suddenly stopped as he reached it.

His instinct for danger kicked in again and he managed to control his rage even further still. But it was still prevalent in his mind. He heard Riddler's voice from outside.

"You're quite the fierce one, wolf. But far too stupid to deal with the likes of me. Come on out here and we'll settle this."

Link knew it was another trap, but his rage kept tempting him to move forward. He kept trying to calm himself. He had no idea what had flung him into such a wild rage. Finally, he could take it no more. He ran out the door and straight toward the direction of the voice. His reward was a swift blow with Riddler's staff sending him sprawling backward.

When he got up, Riddler took another swing at him and connected with Link's lower jaw. The pain of this blow only made Link's rage worse and he leapt at Riddler again. Riddler jumped back, but he didn't have time to swing at Link again because he lost his footing and fell over backward. Link then noticed that Batman was there. He had laid down on the ground behind Riddler, causing him to trip.

Seizing his opportunity, Link leapt at Riddler and when he bit down this time, he had reached Riddler's throat. But, for some reason, he couldn't make contact with his throat. But he was making contact with something. It was then that he remembered back to the fight with Scarecrow. It was Riddler's energy he was biting down on. He ripped and tore at the invisible thing until he was no longer standing on top of the Riddler, but instead a small green flame. With the task done, Link's rage instantly subsided.

"What happened to you?" Bruce asked him.

"I don't know. I just snapped and flew into a rage. Maybe it was him" Link replied, indicating the Riddler's spirit.

"Who knows what that Twili power did to him? He was probably causing it to make me less able to think clearly."

"I think you're right, Link. We should go back into Gotham."

"But, what about the bridge? Surely they've raised it again?"

"Link, I told you to trust me. I have a batcave on Arkham Island. It leads underground and straight back into the heart of the main city. I'll take you there."

"You are truly remarkable, Bruce."

Batman picked up the map again and they both left the scene behind them. Their progress had been slow, but now they had three criminals taken care of. Their hope of restoring light to Gotham had begun to rise.


	13. Uneasy Alliances

Chapter 13: Uneasy Alliances

Lanim and Harley Quinn sat with each other in the mayor's office, the main room of Gotham City Hall. Harley sat on the desk while Lanim was sitting in the mayor's chair, facing the window behind him.

The two of them had barely spoken a word since they were ordered to partner up by Ganondorf and Joker. Lanim finally broke the silence.

"I do hope the great Ganondorf finds his way back here soon. We need to get going."

Harley still sat with her back to Lanim and would not speak.

"I know you don't want to be here, but this is all necessary. We must strengthen our resolve so that we can enter Hyrule."

Harley continued her refusal to speak.

"You're acting childish, Harley. All that I ask is that you work with me to fully realize Ganondorf's plans."

"Shut up, ghost. I hate you and that big, fat, master of yours. The both of you took my sweet Mr. J away from me."

Lanim didn't care enough at this point to lose his patience. He simply sighed and stood up from the chair. He walked over to the window and stared out at the world.

"This world looks much finer with the blanket of perpetual twilight. Don't you agree?"

He was answered by more silence.

"I certainly enjoy the beauty of it all. Won't it be amazing once Hyrule is covered like this? Poor Zant tried his best to do it, but he failed. I will pick up where he left off and I will be the one to succeed."

"Why are you so boring? I don't care about any of this I just want Mr. J back!" Harley replied.

"You must care if you want to go on living."

"But, without Mr. J, my life isn't worth living." Lanim sighed again.

"I've told you a thousand times, Joker and Ganondorf will return here when the Divine Beast and the bat have been dealt with. They are making sure the rest of our allies are doing their jobs. Stop whining and just be patient."

But Lanim, too, was growing impatient. He wanted desperately to help complete his master's goal and feared they were delaying too long. If they delayed much longer, Midna would have regained her power and would surely find a way to get to him. He worried that the Divine Beast and his new ally had already begun to make progress and were lowering Ganondorf's chances of returning to Hyrule.

As Lanim sat and worried, so too did the twilight princess. Her power worked in such strange ways. Despite it being stolen, she could regain it. But the one who stole her power would not lose it.

The reason for this being that it was the power of one of the fated few royals in the Twilight Realm. If they were able to handle it, they would always have it. That is what made Lanim so dangerous and why it made Midna so worried. Her power could outweigh Lanim's once it was fully restored. But because of how powerful he was, Lanim was still a threat and if he robbed Midna of her power once, he could do it again.

She felt so terrible and scolded herself mentally for not being able to see through Lanim's ploy. Ever since that day, she had hired every known Twili mage throughout the realm to conjure up Lanim's spell once again. None could figure out how Lanim had created this portal to another world. The mages experimented but the best they ever did was create a portal that opened out at the top of the Palace of Twilight, injuring one of their kind in the process. As she sat on her throne, worrying, she suddenly had a revelation.

"Of course! It's so obvious I don't know why I didn't come up with it earlier."

She quickly stood up and ran out of the throne room. She ran through the winding halls, startling a few passersby and found the room she was looking for. It was the conference room the mages had set up to meet and come up with ideas. Once the door opened she stepped in and the mages all turned to look at her as she entered.

"Stop what you are doing and listen to me. I think I may have figured out the solution to our problems."

The mages all gathered around her, excitedly, awaiting what she had figured out.

"As you may well know, my power has been slowly coming back over these last few days and has nearly fully recovered. And it is the key to what we seek."

"I'm sorry, princess" said an older mage toward the back of the room "but what is the key to what we seek?"

"My power. It's the one vital ingredient Lanim needed and it is what we are missing."

"But what of the spell?" said a younger mage just off to her right. "Surely we need it if we are to open a portal to another world."

"It is no matter, my friend. My power is strong enough that all I need is the will to create a portal."

The older mage spoke up again.

"Will you even need us anymore? And how long will it take to recover your power? By then, it may be too late."

The surrounding mages all nodded their agreement at this statement.

"I still need you, mages. Your wisdom and knowledge are necessities to opening this portal. As for how long, it can only a take a day or two now. I will let you know when I have my full power. We can set to work immediately after that" Midna paused for a moment then continued.

"And, my friends, if it was too late, then Ganondorf would already be upon us. Until that point, there is always hope. I will be back to see you again when I am ready. Until then, keep expanding your knowledge and stay strong. When I return, I shall set out for Hyrule."

Midna turned around and left the mages alone in their conference room once more. They sat in silence but their princess's words left them with more hope than they had had before.

Based on their location, Batman and Link knew exactly whom they would be facing this time. They found themselves underground, inside a seemingly abandoned building. They reached the lower underground levels and found the temperature dropping as they descended deeper.

They now found themselves in front of a cryogenics lab where the temperatures were now below freezing. This time it was Mr. Freeze, the scientist and victim of tragedy.

"Be careful in here, Link" Batman warned. "He's very dangerous, probably even more so now."

"I'm well aware of what you taught me about him, Bruce. For some reason, though, I feel like he's concentrating on something else and may not even put up a fight."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just get in there and I think you'll see what I mean."

Link pushed the door open and Batman followed suit directly behind him. They immediately saw Mr. Freeze at the back of the lab, kneeling next to a sealed chamber. He had his right hand rested upon it and did not stir as the two wolves crept closer. He knew they were in the room with him, but he didn't care enough to turn around and look. He just stared at the empty chamber and lamented to himself.

"I only wanted vengeance, Nora. I wanted retribution for you, my love. I did not want this. What has this monster done?"

Batman looked at Link and there was genuine surprise in his look. Link had anticipated correctly. Mr. Freeze was far too distraught to be worried about them.

When he had returned to his lab, he did not find his terminally ill wife sealed inside her cryogenic chamber. All he found was an empty chamber as his wife had been turned into a spirit by the perpetual twilight. When he heard the wolves get closer to him, he finally addressed them.

"Stop where you are" he said in his typical cold fashion. Link and Batman stopped in their tracks and prepared themselves for a fight.

"I am aware of what you are trying to accomplish. Although you are to blame for her condition, Batman, I cannot bring myself to reap my vengeance upon you."

Link and Batman looked at each other and then looked back toward Mr. Freeze.

"As for you" he said, pointing at Link "I know you have the means to lift this darkness from the city. And if that were to happen, it would at least bring my Nora back to where she was. I'll at least be able to help her in that form."

Mr. Freeze paused for a moment as he let his words sink in. What he said next, however, neither Batman nor Link could have foreseen this.

"Which is why I wish to help you defeat the monster, Lanim; but know this, Batman. Once this deed is done, you and I shall be enemies once more and I shall continue my hunt for vengeance."

Neither of them could express words to describe just how shocked they were at this proposition.

"Should we accept his help, Bruce?"

"I don't know, Link. This could be risky, because he could turn on us at any given moment. But I do know his commitment to helping his wife is stronger than any desire he has ever had."

Mr. Freeze heard the two wolves growling to each other. As he watched them, he marvelled at the situation. He thought back to Lanim and how he would regret ever telling him the form the Divine Beast was to take. Link suddenly stepped forward and looked up at Mr. Freeze. He slowly nodded his head in acceptance. Mr. Freeze then looked to the darker wolf and stared at him coldly. After a bit of hesitation, Batman too nodded.

"It is settled then. Once we are finished, I shall give up my power so that we can lift this darkness. You have my thanks, wolf. And you have my respect, Batman. But do not think I will forget what you have done in the past."

With that surprising encounter finished, Link and Batman turned and ran out of the lab. Mr. Freeze slowly followed behind, all the while lamenting his situation. But it was necessary for him if he wanted to continue helping his wife. Once they were outside, the three of them walked together through the streets of Gotham and moved toward their next destination.


	14. Mistrial

Chapter 14: Mistrial

Their path was leading them closer to City Hall and their goal was nearly complete. Link, Batman, and Mr. Freeze all stopped in front of the Gotham Courthouse. The map that Batman had made led them to this very spot and was to be one of their final destinations. Once again they were able to discern who they would be facing based on their location.

Harvey Dent would be here still fixated on his former job as the District Attorney. Batman always felt a little sorry for Two-Face. When he had been disfigured by a criminal, Batman was unable to save him. Batman believed Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face was one of his greatest failures as the Dark Knight. The reason he felt this way was because Harvey Dent was an excellent trial lawyer putting away criminals just as well as the Batman himself. But when he was disfigured and went insane, Batman blamed himself, just as he did for his parents' murder. But Batman always strengthened his resolve when facing Two-Face realizing he had become exactly what he had been fighting against and that he must be stopped.

The three of them entered the courthouse. As they passed through the hall and into the courtroom, they were met with a bizarre sight. There were silhouettes of people sitting in the seats, directing their attention to the front watching Harvey Dent. He sat there, as if waiting for something. Once they entered, he turned in his seat and spotted them.

"Don't you know it's a bylaw violation to walk your dogs without a leash? And you certainly can't bring them into a court of law. It seems you'll need to be brought to justice."

Mr. Freeze wouldn't have any of it.

"Enough of this, Dent. Give up your power or else force me to take it from you."

"Those your terms, Freeze? Fine then, come and get me."

Mr. Freeze lifted his arm and was about to try and blast Two-Face with ice but he heard growling from in front of him. He lowered his arm again reluctantly, but knew that Batman was preventing him from acting too quickly and causing their downfall.

"You're taking orders from the Bat now? Well isn't that just grand."

He looked down at the wolves and pulled a coin from his pocket, the same coin he always used. It used to be a double headed coin but he had since scratched up one side to help his fixation on chance.

"Tell you what; I'll let the jury decide your fate."

After he said that the silhouettes all stirred. He flipped the coin up in the air but when he did so, Mr. Freeze took his opportunity. He lifted his arm and blasted ice directly at the coin. But Two-Face, infused with his own power, countered the ice by pulling a gun from his jacket and firing a blast of shadows to meet the ice. The ice stopped in midair and Mr. Freeze stopped firing. A large chunk of ice fell to the floor and shattered. They also heard another sound.

The coin had bounced off the wooden floor of the courtroom and was now spinning. It spun for a few seconds before it finally stopped and rolled to one side. It was at that point that the silhouettes in the courtroom all stood up and focussed on the three in the middle. Their faces were half disfigured, like that of their master and their eyes were yellow, like that of a Twili.

"They've reached a verdict, it seems. Looks like your guilty, boys. You will be sentenced to death."

Link, Batman, and Mr. Freeze backed into each other as the shadows surrounded them.

"Bruce, attack their chests. If they're anything like the shadow beasts I've faced, they'll go down if you leap and attack their chests."

"What about Freeze? What can he do?" Bruce answered back.

"He'll be fine, just get at them!"

As he spoke, Link snarled and leapt at the nearest shadow to him. He clawed at his chest and bit and tore at it. The thing fell down and disappeared into twilit particles.

Batman quickly followed suit and began cutting down the mass of shadows.

Mr. Freeze kept firing blasts of ice at them and they would freeze to the spot. He would then kick them and the shadows would shatter into hundreds of pieces.

Two- Face pulled out his gun again and aimed it straight at Link. When he pulled the trigger, another blast of shadows streamed from the barrel instead of a bullet. Link saw this in time and leapt aside. He tried rushing at Two-Face but his way was suddenly barred by a group of about eight shadows. He leapt back and forth at each of them, tearing and clawing his way around the group. When he landed on the ground again, the last one of that small group was behind him and fell forward, disappearing into twilit particles just like the rest.

Batman and Mr. Freeze continued engaging the other shadows as Link finally focussed on Two-Face. After dodging another blast from the gun, Link leapt at Two-Face's throat. Two-Face turned to the side and swiped at Link with his right arm, knocking him to the ground. Link slid on the floor but quickly got back to his feet and leapt away from another blast from Two-Face.

Mr. Freeze had just disposed of the last of the shadows surrounding him and saw the fight at the front of the courtroom. He rushed straight at Two-Face, whose attention was distracted by Link. When he reached Two-Face, Mr. Freeze grabbed the arm that was holding the gun and frost began to form around it. Very rapidly, Two-Face's entire right arm was encased in ice and he dropped the gun on the floor.

Two-Face stumbled backward but with a great effort, he swung his frozen arm at Mr. Freeze and connected, knocking him backward and shattering the ice. As he turned to try and retrieve his gun, Link was right on top of him. He kicked and punched at Link's head and sides as he leapt again and again.

Mr. Freeze got up again and blasted ice at Two-Face's legs, trying to freeze him to the spot. Two-Face was able to see this and jumped back, out of the way of the blast. The front of the courtroom now had a coating of ice on it as Mr. Freeze recharged and blasted at Two-Face again. All the while, Link kept leaping and Two-Face was being driven backward toward the door.

While all of this was going on, Batman had long since finished dealing with Two-Face's shadows. He was hiding behind a row of seats, waiting to strike from the shadows once again.

As Mr. Freeze and Link backed Two-Face toward the door, Batman lunged out from behind him and took him by surprise. This time, Two-Face had no time to react as Batman knocked him to the ground and started tearing into Two-Face's power. He didn't have enough of Link's power of the Triforce to finish him off, however, so Link took one leap and bit down into the dark power infused into Two-Face.

This time Link witnessed what happened as Two-Face reverted back to spirit form. A bright light emanated from Two-Face's chest and he gradually disappeared until nothing but the little green flame was left. This was a part of the light needed to restore Gotham to its former state. The three of them stood in the courthouse, staring at the green flame that now took the spot of Two-Face.

"You have a great power indeed, wolf. Your ability impresses me. You've exceeded what I expected from you. I'll be back to my dear Nora very soon, I feel."

The words of Mr. Freeze echoed off of the courtroom walls. Link and Batman looked at each other once more and knew that there was only one more stop to make.

"It looks like we'll be parting ways soon, Link."

"It certainly looks that way, Bruce, but don't count on it. We may have only one place left to go, but you know who will be there. We'll have to deal with Ganondorf. Not to mention the Twili as well as the Joker. This may take a little longer than you expect."

"I guess I shouldn't be so hasty" Bruce replied.

As he listened to the growls of the two wolves, Mr. Freeze slowly turned and walked out of the courthouse. He stood in the middle of the street and stared in the distance. Just a few blocks away stood the walls of the Gotham City Hall.

"I'm coming for you, ghost. You cannot take my dear Nora away from me. I will have her back, no matter the price I pay."

Link and Batman exited the courthouse as well and ran on ahead of Mr. Freeze. He followed behind them and they set out on their final trek. This would soon be their final fight to restore the light to Gotham City.


	15. Illuminate the Darkness

Chapter 15: Illuminate the Darkness

Lanim and Harley Quinn still sat in the main office of Gotham City Hall. Neither had stirred since their most recent argument and were still facing away from each other. Not a sound was being made and within the office there was absolute dead silence.

As they continued to sit there, Lanim was growing ever more irritated with the situation. He was impatient for Ganon's return. He was feeling terribly rejected at having been cast aside by Ganondorf. After all, Lanim thought, _he_ was the one who had brought Ganondorf back from oblivion.

Harley Quinn had the same problem, having been partnered with the Joker for years, just to have him abandon her. She was far too warped by the Joker's influence to realize that this act was typical behaviour for the Joker.

As they both sat there, lamenting and regretting their situation together, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door. They both stood and, facing the door, readying themselves for whoever was going to come through the main office door. When it opened, they both relaxed as they saw who it was.

Ganondorf and Joker were there, having finally returned. Ganondorf spoke as soon as they entered the room.

"The boy and the bat are coming here. You both need to be ready."

"Why do we need to be ready? Deal with them yourself!" Harley said, defying the Demon King.

"I am the brains behind this. I will deal with them when the time is right. Joker will remain with me. You two must hold them off until we are ready. If you wish to be destroyed, then so be it."

The way Ganondorf spoke was eerily calm, unlike what they had heard previously. The malevolence was oddly missing from his voice. It was so jarring and unexpected that it sounded even more intimidating than when he spoke with anger in his voice. Harley quickly stopped trying to speak and immediately stood by the door. Joker marvelled at Ganon's effectiveness.

"Bravo, Ganny. You've got talent, old boy."

Ganondorf did not reply to this and simply motioned for the Joker to follow. Joker complied and soon the two of them were headed out the back door of the office ascending the stairs. This left Harley and Lanim alone again. They stood in silence as they had before, and were waiting as they heard more footsteps approaching.

Link, Batman and Mr. Freeze all stood outside the city hall in silence, staring up at the old building. Mr. Freeze could only think of his wife as he stared on and wanted retribution. Anger filled him as he thought of what Lanim had caused and he could stand it no more. He charged forward and burst through the door.

"Freeze, no!" Batman snarled.

Even if Mr. Freeze could understand him in wolf form, it would not have stopped him either way. Link and Batman raced after him into the building. Mr. Freeze continued running until he reached the door to the main office. He lowered his shoulder and knocked the door down and ran into the room. He found only Harley Quinn standing by the desk.

"Where is the beast, clown? Tell me now!"

"You won't get anywhere talking to me like that, brain-freeze."

"Tell me where he is, you harlot!"

Harley Quinn simply laughed and that's when Mr. Freeze lunged at her. He shot ice at her as she did flips and somersaults to avoid the icy blasts. Soon, the entire office was coated in ice, but Harley was still able to avoid these blasts. Link and Batman entered the room and saw the scene that was unfolding. As soon as they entered the room, they heard a voice from above.

"At last, we shall meet, Divine Beast!"

At this, Mr. Freeze stopped and turned his attention above him, where Lanim was hovering at the ceiling. He had dark purple energy pulsating around him.

"I'll kill you for taking Nora from me, ghost!"

Mr. Freeze fired a blast of ice directly at Lanim. Harley seized her opportunity and, infused with shadow magic, was able to deliver a lightning fast kick to Mr. Freeze's head, cracking his hardened glass helmet and sending him sprawling backward. Link and Batman did not act so hastily as Mr. Freeze and simply stood by the door.

"What is this, Freeze? You dare work with our enemies and betray the one who granted you your power?"

"You gave me nothing! You never said this would happen! My wife, I can't help my wife. She is a spirit, you took her from me! I did not want this!"

"It doesn't matter what you want only the will of my master matters!"

Mr. Freeze got up again and blasted Lanim with ice again. He moved out of the way of the blast and formed a red orb above his hand. He launched it at Mr. Freeze and this sent him stumbling backward again. He tried to stand again, but collapsed to one knee. He looked at his hand and noticed he was beginning to fade away into spirit form.

"You won't get that lucky, Freeze! I'll destroy you for your treachery."

Lanim was suddenly distracted when he heard a growl come from behind him. Link was there, glaring up at him from below. Lanim's eyes flared with fury as he finally laid his eyes upon the Divine Beast.

"I will have my master's vengeance!" he shouted, as he dove down to the ground and shook the very foundation of the city hall.

The shockwave knocked Link back and he hit the wall. He got up and shook himself off and bared his teeth at Lanim.

While all of this was going on, Harley had been trying to sneak up on the Batman. Of course, he knew what she was doing the whole time and merely waited for her to reach him. When she was just a step behind him, Batman whirled around and lunged at her, biting into her power just as he and Link had done with everyone else. He knew he didn't have the power to completely destroy it, though. He needed help to destroy her power and render her form to that of a spirit.

It was then that Mr. Freeze took his opportunity. With his power fading, he blasted ice at Harley and Batman as they fought. This first shot missed as his injuries were affecting his aim. Harley realized what was happening and turned her attention to Mr. Freeze once again.

She ran at him and he couldn't react fast enough as she began kicking and punching him repeatedly. Mr. Freeze did what he could to defend himself but he continued taking the rain of blows from Harley.

With Harley distracted, Batman was able to get a good leap at her and landed on her back. He bit down hard and was tearing at the power that surrounded her. She turned away from Mr. Freeze and did everything she could to shake Batman off.

Mr. Freeze caught his breath and rushed at Harley. Batman saw this coming and leapt off of Harley's back as Mr. Freeze reached them. He lowered his shoulder and ran straight into Harley, carrying her with him. He ran into the wall, broke through and the two of them went tumbling into the adjacent room.

Mr. Freeze got up again and fired ice at Harley's legs, freezing her to the floor. He thought about taking this opportunity to strike her down, but decided against it. He knew that it would not bring Nora back to him if he destroyed Harley. He needed the Batman to take her power away if he was to achieve what he sought.

"Take care of this, bat. She's weakened and you must remove her power. Then we can take the ghost down and help the wolf."

Batman was surprised by Mr. Freeze again as he was never this charitable with letting people keep their lives. Batman leapt at Harley and tore away at her power as she lay frozen to the ground. Within a few minutes, that same bright light emanated from Harley's chest and soon nothing but the little green flame was left. All that was left was dealing with Lanim and helping out Link.

Lanim and Link were locked in combat as Link continually snapped at Lanim, catching his hand here, or his leg there. Lanim would blast his Twili magic at Link, and he would leap away once, and catch the brunt of the blast another time. The two were wearing each other down and at the rate things were going, it was simply a matter of who would collapse first. They both paused and breathed heavily, all the while circling each other, looking for any possible opening.

Link leapt at Lanim but Lanim simply stepped aside and a sword materialised in his hand. He sliced at Link and caught him in the shoulder. This opened a large wound that started bleeding rather badly. Link remained focussed and turned to face Lanim again. Just as he was about to leap again, a blast of ice knocked Lanim back and Link looked to his right.

Mr. Freeze and Batman had emerged from a hole in the wall and were there to help Link. Mr. Freeze was completely focussed on killing Lanim so after he shot him with ice, he ran toward where the blast had gone, intent on finishing Lanim off. When he got there, nothing but broken ice chunks were left where Lanim had stood.

Suddenly, Mr. Freeze was hit with a blast of energy that sent him flying backward into the large window of the office. It shattered loudly as he spilled out of the city hall. Link and Batman rushed toward the window and looked out. It wasn't a very big drop but they saw the results of Lanim's blast. Mr. Freeze was lying on the ground. He tried to get up, but instantly fell forward and collapsed as he did so. He managed to climb back up to one knee and looked up to the window. He looked at Link as light began to emanate from him.

"Save this world, wolf. Help me save my wife. Destroy Lanim and take my blessing with you. Make him feel this world's pain, wolf. Make him feel your world's pain. Destroy him and his master. I will not forget your deeds."

With these final words, light poured from Mr. Freeze's chest until nothing was left of him except for that little green flame. Link and Batman turned to Lanim as he rushed at them both from above. They both leapt away but then began feeling strange. They noticed the world around them getting brighter. Lanim looked around him, incredulous.

"How can this be? You couldn't have brought all the light back, what about Joker? This is im-" he stopped.

He realized what must have been happening. Ganondorf took Joker's Twili power away and granted him his own dark power. They were planning to have Lanim destroyed the whole time. He had been used as a pawn, just as Zant was. Lanim's foolish loyalty to Ganondorf forbade him from wishing for vengeance, however.

He blasted more dark energy at Link and Batman, but they leapt aside again. The light grew stronger and stronger until Lanim could no longer see. The light also caused his power to fade and slowly dropped him down to the ground. Once he hit the ground, he knelt down and shielded his eyes from the blinding light, screaming in pain.

Link and Batman felt pain as well and both of them felt their forms changing. Their forepaws and forelegs started to change into hands and arms and they started standing up on their hind legs again. The bright light continued on until they were both fully standing in their human forms again. The light faded away as the two heroes stood in the Gotham City Hall's main office, the office of the mayor.

Once they could see again, they both looked at each other. As their eyes met, they both smiled appreciatively. They looked to Lanim again and saw an ugly sight. His form weakened by the light that had just streamed back into the world, he was pale and white, kneeling on the ground and clutching at his chest. They were distracted from Lanim when they heard a voice from behind him.

"Such a pitiful sight you are, Lanim. I really should thank you for bringing me back, and acting like the little pawn that you are."

Link remembered that horrible voice from his past and drew the sword at his back, even though he realized it wasn't the Master Sword and would have no effect.

"Hello again, Link. It's been a long time."

Joker cackled excitedly.

"Oooh, this is going to be great, Ganny old boy. You must know how much fun this kid is?"

Ganondorf ignored Joker and continued staring at Link.

"No amount of help can save you this time, boy. I will merge shadow and light, and its history shall be written in blood. It shall be the blood of Hyrule that will provide it. My rightful kingdom shall be claimed."

Link felt chills at Ganondorf's familiar words. They were similar words to those Ganon had spoken when they had last met. Batman could only watch this scene unfold before him, knowing that acting too quickly would spell doom. He stood in a state of readiness.

"Joker is with me this time, and he is no mere pawn. He is far too powerful for any such as you. And this time, you don't have the Twilight Princess to aid you. Midna can't save you, anyway. All that power Lanim had has been imbued unto me. You have been helping me this whole time, too. I suppose I should thank you as well."

Joker simply laughed again.

"I like your style, Ganny. You're such a clever one."

Link and Batman just stood there, ready for some sort of attack, but nothing would come. Ganondorf and Joker simply stood there, staring back at them. It was then that Ganondorf raised his right hand. The top of the Triforce mark glowed as he did so and a portal slowly opened behind them. At the same time, a massive yellow wall of energy blocked off Link and Batman at the other side of the room. The portal finished opening and both Ganondorf and Joker turned around to enter it. Just before they entered the portal, Link shouted toward Ganondorf.

"I will come for you. No matter what you say, I will come for you."

"Oh, I know, boy. I know you'll come. I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

With that, the two of them entered the portal and it quickly disappeared, along with the wall. Link and Batman were alone in the office once more with Lanim. Batman spoke up when everything had disappeared.

"Link, how are you going to get back to your world?"

"I don't know. But I have to get back there one way or another."

In the Twilight Realm, Midna awoke in her throne once more and felt a sudden rush of energy. Her heart leapt as she had a sudden revelation.

"It's back. My power is back!"

She quickly stood up and raced to the room of mages. As the door opened, they were pleased to see their princess standing before them.

"I am ready. Focus your energy upon me, we must act now. I will find the Divine Beast."

They all looked to each other in wonder.

"The Divine Beast, princess? I thought you were going to Hyrule."

"I need to find him if we are to be successful in stopping this threat. Now, focus your energy upon me so we can open the portal. I shall focus on the Divine Beast to get to his location."

Her heart leapt again at the prospect of seeing Link. She had sorely missed him since the day that she had broken the Mirror of Twilight. Excitement stirred in her heart, but then a feeling of guilt swept over her again. She hated meeting him under such grave circumstances once again. It seemed they would never meet under any other circumstances. As she focussed on Link, the mages focussed their energy on her and soon a blue portal was opening up behind her.

Link and Batman still stood in the city hall with Lanim. Batman knew Link would be terribly worried and wished to help him. When he tried to speak, Link spoke first.

"Your job is done, Batman.. You've saved your city. I shall do my best to call upon the gods of my world. They can take me back to Hyrule."

Batman couldn't believe what Link was saying.

"You don't think I can help you? I want to help you, Link. We've worked together this long, why would we stop now?"

"I can't endanger you in this, Batman, it's far too dangerous."

"Link, you're starting to sound like me. Remember what you told me? I accepted your help, why won't you accept mine?"

"This is different. I can't risk sacrificing someone else for this. Besides, none of this affects your world anymore. Everything that was caused here was because of things from my realm."

"The Joker is in your realm, now. He has to be put away and I won't let him kill innocent people, no matter what world he is in. It doesn't matter whose realm caused what. What matters is that we work together on this just as we have been. Please, Link, don't go alone."

Link sighed as he realized that this was just like their first conversation, only now the shoe was on the other foot.

"You make a convincing case, Batman. And you are right, we should work together. Fine then, we'll go to Hyrule together."

As soon as they finished talking, they heard a strange sound and a large shape began to materialise in front of them. The thing was black and blue and slowly faded into existence. They were surprised that when it finally stopped forming, they could see through it. Link stared into it and gasped when he saw what was on the other side.

"What's wrong, Link?"

Link could say nothing. He just continued staring into the portal. Batman looked to the portal and saw a tall female figure that looked similar to Lanim. She stepped through the portal and looked at her surroundings.

"This is an odd place. I didn't expect this."

As she examined the world around her, she could hear pained breathing from the floor beside her. She recognized the form kneeling on the ground and flew into an instant rage.

"Lanim! You'll die for your betrayal!"

She reached her arm forward and Lanim was flung back against the wall, still breathing painfully. Midna rushed over to him and was about to strike him down but decided against it for the moment.

"What have you left to say for yourself?"

Lanim's pained breaths were growing faint as Midna glared into his eyes.

"You are too late, fool. My master has been revived. He is already in the world of light" he said, hoarsely.

"I already knew that, Lanim. Why do you think I came here?"

"Just be done with it, usurper. My goal is accomplished and my life is worthless. Take your meaningless vengeance."

Midna did just that as she concentrated on Lanim and soon his body exploded into hundreds of little particles.

When that deed was done, she looked to her left and met the eyes of a man staring at her. Being dressed in all black, Batman was a menacing and imposing figure, and she thought he may be an enemy.

"Who are you?" she said, aggressively. "What business do you have here?"

Before he could speak, she heard an all-too-familiar voice. It was the voice she had longed to hear for years now. All it said was her name.

"Midna" Link said.

She froze in her place and looked to the left of Batman. Their eyes met and Midna slowly approached. The two of them continued staring at each other until Midna finally ran forward and threw her arms around Link. He returned the embrace and felt the joy Midna could feel at that moment. When Midna finally let go, she looked at Link again.

"I'm sorry, Link."

"You always say that. Quit being so sorry all the time."

"But it's because of us again that all of this is happening . I have to drag you through this all over again."

"It's not your fault, Midna. Please don't blame yourself."

Midna missed Link's kindness and good heart. She felt complete again. It was then that he spoke again.

"We need to get back to Hyrule, now. Ganondorf has a very dangerous ally this time around."

"Yes you're right, Link. We must head back now."

She walked back to the portal and found Link and the mysterious man following her.

"What is he doing?"

"Midna, this is Batman. He is the hero of this city. He helped me defeat Lanim and we have been working together. He wishes to help me again. He is a great ally, Midna."

"Any help is good. Thank you, sir."

"It's what I do. I'm just glad not all of your kind are like him" Batman said, obviously alluding to Lanim.

The three of them stepped through the portal and into the twilight realm. Once they were there, Midna commanded the mages once more and as the first portal closed, another one opened. The three of them stepped through this portal and soon found themselves in a forested area, in front of an ancient, ruined stone building. They were now at the ruins of the Temple of Time.

Midna knew Link would need the Master Sword again and had brought him here to retrieve it. The three of them approached the pedestal and Link pulled the mystical sword out once again. He sheathed it and the three of them turned and faced the setting sun, walking out of the ruined temple once more.

They came out into the Sacred Grove and Midna transported them into a dense forest, Faron Woods. From here, the three of them stared out in the direction of Hyrule Field and saw the black cloud that lay ahead of them. This is where their final journey awaited.


	16. Castle Defense

Chapter 16: Castle Defense 

A pall of dark clouds lay over Hyrule Field, just outside the new Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf wanted this one as well. He had used this dark cover to shroud his arrival and summon his minions to his cause. Of course, it didn't do very well to hide his arrival as Zelda knew instantly that he was returning.

She would not give up her kingdom this time and she had summoned all of Hyrule's soldiers to her side. They stood at every gate of the castle town, waiting for the arrival of the Demon King. Zelda awaited at the south entrance to the castle, sitting atop a white horse, dressed in full royal armour.

She raised the visor of her helmet and watched the approaching dark cloud. As it drew nearer, she saw several creatures lumber out of the cloud, all with sickening and maddened smiles on their faces. She then saw the figure of a man emerge from the dark cloud and drew the sword at her side. As the figure emerged, Zelda was confused. She had never seen this man before, but was instantly aware of his ill intentions.

The man was dressed in a purple suit and had this strange golden aura about him. As he stepped forward, the man said "Why does everyone look so down? Come on, give me a smile."

As the Joker approached the Southern Gate, Ganondorf crossed the bridge from the east side, entering the cave and emerging on the other side. He approached the gate with his malformed, pig-like minions. The soldiers there stared nervously at the approaching threat, fighting against their every instinct to flee. Ganon suddenly stopped in the middle of the bridge.

The guards watched him warily as he slowly raised his arm and pointed with his right hand. With that motion, the pig-like minions of Ganondorf set upon the hapless soldiers and attacked without mercy.

In the courtyard of Hyrule Castle, a group of soldiers stood protecting the castle itself. They stood, nervously waiting for the impending threat. Suddenly, they heard a sound and a portal opened in front of them. They shakily pointed their spears at the portal as three figures emerged from it. Among them, they recognized the face they had all come to resent.

"You! How did you get here? Why aren't you out there with the princess?" shouted one of the soldiers.

"I have brought help. Tell me, where are the attackers coming from?" Link asked, as the portal behind them closed.

"I don't think you should be privy to that information. This is a matter for Hyrule's soldiers to deal with. It's too late for you to help now."

"Look, put aside your petty feelings for once and just tell me where we need to be!"

The soldier would say nothing more to Link and neither would any of the others. Their resentment of him was ridiculous and he was getting angry. He drew the Master Sword at his back and grabbed his shield.

"Tell me where help is needed."

Still, the soldier would say nothing. Finally, Link lost his temper. He ran forward and thrust his shield into the soldiers chest and sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Link, stop!' shouted Midna. She started to move toward him when Batman held his arm out to stop her.

"It's all right. He won't hurt them. He's only getting information."

"How do you know that?"

"Just trust me, all right? You've worked with him just as much as I have, and you know I'm right."

Midna stood back and Batman lowered his arm again. The soldier got up and looked at Link in shock. Link ran forward and knocked him to the ground again. This time, before he could get up, Link put a foot on his chest and pointed the Master Sword in the soldier's face. In an instant, however, he was surrounded by the other soldiers. But Link ignored them and glared down at the guard, suddenly recognizing him from Zelda's throne room.

"Would you have our princess perish at the hands of these devils merely because of jealousy? Would you betray your kingdom and your brothers in arms by barring the way of reinforcements? Tell me what I need to know."

The guard had trouble speaking, but finally managed to do so after many failed attempts.

"Get off of me and I'll tell you."

"No. You will tell me now."

"You're surrounded and in no place to negotiate. Let me up or face death."

"Do you think I fear any of these cowards? Do you think I couldn't defeat all of you singlehanded? You are a fool if you think so. Tell me where we are needed."

The soldier looked into Link's eyes and was suddenly filled with fear as he saw the ferocity within. Finally, after much persuasion, he relented.

"All right, all right. Two attack groups are battling our men at the southern and eastern gates. Princess Zelda fights with the group at the southern gate. Now let me up!"

"Call off your men first."

"Men, stand down so he can let me up."

The group around Link quickly dispersed and lowered their spears. Link stepped off of the soldier's chest and put away his sword and shield. When the soldier got up, Link looked him in the eyes.

"Thank you very much" said Link. He turned back toward Midna and Batman.

"Why did you have to do that?" asked Midna.

"We need to know where we're going. It's also about time I taught those clowns some respect."

Batman nodded in approval at this statement.

"What do we do now, though? They're attacking from two sides" Midna stated.

"We can't split up one of us would have to go alone."

"Zelda is at the eastern gate, one of us can go there and help her" Link said.

"I'll do it. Send me there" said Batman.

"Why you?" Midna said.

"Joker's got to be on that side. I know him better than any of us."

"How do you know he's there? What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not wrong, I know him. He'll want to be the one to take down the princess just before he takes over himself."

"So, he'll betray Ganondorf?" asked Link.

"Of course, he'd betray anyone. It's all part of the fun to him."

"Ganondorf is no fool, he'll see that coming. Either way, we need to stop talking and get out there!"

With Link's last statement, Midna opened up two portals. Batman walked into one and she and Link walked into the other. The portals closed again, leaving the soldiers in the courtyard alone once more.

Zelda led the charge at the strange man she'd never seen before. Her horse barrelled straight toward him but a sudden wall of strange creatures blocked her way. Her white stallion reared up and she got a better look at the creatures with the man. The creatures looked very similar to the Bulblins that plagued the land but they were dressed in purple and green.

Their faces were white and each wore a hideous, maniacal smile. She caught a glimpse of the strange man again but only for a split second. He disappeared from view almost immediately. As soon as she was barred by the creatures, all of the soldiers with her rushed to her aid and immediately began defending their princess. She saw the man again, this time off to her right, away from the melee. She charged at him again but he quickly disappeared again.

This time, though, he reappeared directly in front of her face and she was knocked from the horse and onto the ground. Her stallion ran on for a bit but then stopped, confused about the absence of its master. Zelda slowly got up, but just as she did so, she was knocked back again. As she went to get up again she saw the horrid face of the man, grinning down at her. He knelt down and his face was merely inches away from hers.

"Hello there, deary. You're just as stunning as Ganny said you would be."

Zelda did not speak; she simply threw her fist into the man's ribs. This forced him to stumble backward and gave her time to get up.

"You're a feisty one too. This is going to be fun."

Zelda reached for the sword at her side and realized that it was missing. She had drawn it earlier and must have dropped it when the man knocked her from her horse. Luckily, she had a short sword on her back and drew it from its sheath.

"Is this a traditional greeting from people around here?" the man said, with an insane laugh.

"Who are you who fights with the Demon King?" Zelda responded, pointing her sword at the man.

"You all even talk the same, what a riot!"

"Tell me who you are if you wish to live!"

"Oh dear princess, you won't make many friends making those sorts of threats. Besides, it's not me who should fear death right now!" he said, laughing again.

Zelda had had enough of this bantering and charged toward the man. She thrust her sword at his chest but he moved aside with incredible speed. He turned and kicked at Zelda's back, sending her to the ground once more. Before he could advance on her, though, it was his turn to take a blow. This knocked him back, but he did not fall over. Instead, he gathered himself and stared in the direction that the blow had come from.

"Well if it isn't my best friend in the whole wide world! You're a little late to the party, Bats, but there's still plenty of time to have some fun!"

Zelda regained her footing yet again and looked to her right where she saw yet another strange man she had never seen before.

"Say bats, where's that leprechaun you've teamed up with? He was ever so much fun. We could have made it a nice little tea party."

"Enough talk, Joker. Leave this woman alone, I'm the one you want."

As she stared at these two men, she realized that they must have had a very illustrious history with each other. The man in black, she discerned, was here to help and she would fight with him to banish this new evil one.

"You know, Batman I've noticed that you've always got a heroic speech ready for me. It used to be fun but now I find it so dull and boring. And I won't have anyone spoiling my fun."

Joker pulled a knife out of his jacket and ran toward Batman. Batman rushed forward as well and as the two met, Joker moved away from Batman as he lunged and with the same speed he had demonstrated before, spun around and slashed at Batman's arm, cutting just below the shoulder.

"Ganny's taught me well, Bats. This old dog has learned some new tricks."

Batman turned to grab Joker but he quickly moved away again and threw a punch into Batman's chest, knocking him backward. Joker heard a sound from behind him and saw Zelda take a swipe at him with her sword. He leapt back, out of reach of the short sword, jumped to the side, and was quickly beside Zelda before she could blink. He slashed at her with his knife and now she too was wounded. It was nothing the two of them couldn't deal with, though.

"Just try and catch me, Bats!" Joker taunted.

Just as he was about to rush Joker again, they heard many loud cries come from within the Castle Town walls and stopped dead. Joker heard it as well and he suddenly stopped smiling.

"He said I could get in there first. Ganny sure is a crafty one, but he's taking away my fun."

Joker turned to Batman and Zelda.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to run! I'll see you two later!"

"No you don't!" Batman said but as he ran forward, Joker suddenly disappeared, along with the creatures that were battling the soldiers.

"He's gotten more power from Ganondorf than I thought" Batman said.

"You know of Ganondorf?" asked Zelda.

"There will be time to explain later. We need to get into that town!"

Zelda simply nodded and the two of them ran off, up the stairs, toward the castle town gate. The soldiers left standing saw their princess running toward the gate with another strange man. Their battle with Joker's minions had taken its toll, but they remained loyal to the princess and dutifully followed her. Soon they had caught up to Zelda and Batman. They reached the southern Castle Town gate and crossed into the south district of Castle Town.

Before Batman had reached Zelda, Ganondorf had just finished disposing of the guards. He summoned his minions back to him and started forward again. It was then that a large blue portal blocked his progress. He stopped again and stared at the portal.

"So, you've found _her _again have you, boy?"

Link and Midna emerged from the portal onto the drawbridge and were a little caught off guard to find Ganondorf standing there, staring at them. They had not expected to be taken directly to him.

"Surprised? I'd have thought you'd expect this. But it's nice that we're all together again. Just like old times."

Ganondorf realized what he had just said.

_I've been spending too much time with Joker_ he thought. Link had noticed the same thing.

"Your new friend is rubbing off on you, Ganondorf."

"I suppose he has his effect. But that's no matter. As you can see, you're too late to save the soldiers here. I believe it is best that we continue this inside and that you let me pass. But, you won't do that, will you?"

"Why would we ever let you pass into Hyrule Castle, unimpeded?" asked Midna.

"Good question, Midna. And I cannot think of any answer to it. I suppose I shall have to force my way in?"

Link drew the Master Sword at his back and Midna created dual magic blades in both of her hands.

"Very well, we shall do this again."

Ganondorf lifted his right hand and formed a ball of magical energy. He then threw it directly at Midna who sliced at it with her swords, dissipating it. She ran forward and slashed at Ganondorf with her twin blades. He dodged each subsequent slice before throwing a punch at Midna's head. The blow knocked her backward but she did not fall over.

It was then that Link leapt in and swung the Master Sword at Ganondorf's head. He was able to duck underneath this and he kicked out at Link, tripping him. Ganondorf suddenly summoned the white sword he had used previously, the one that the sages failed to execute him with. He pointed it at the ground and stabbed downward. Link rolled out of the way and jumped up, hitting the railing alongside the drawbridge.

As he was about to rush him again, Ganondorf disappeared in a cloud of smoke that quickly enveloped Link. As soon as the cloud surrounded him, Ganondorf's pig-beasts immediately began attacking him. One of them clawed at Link, leaving a cut on his left shoulder but he began fighting them off.

Ganondorf reappeared in front of Midna and started slashing at her with his white sword. She knew Link couldn't help her, fighting with Ganon's pig-beasts inside the cloud of smoke. She darted aside as Ganondorf swung down at her and she stabbed at Ganondorf's arm. But he was quick enough to whirl around and grab Midna's sword. He tore it from her grasp and crushed it in his left hand, turning it to nothing but twilit particles. He then swung his sword at her head, a move which was promptly dodged but the same thing happened once again. Ganondorf disappeared into smoke and Midna was surrounded by Ganondorf's pig-beasts.

She started fighting them off as well. She was able to make another sword appear, so cutting the pig-beasts down was relatively easy for her.

Link, meanwhile, had just one creature left to fend off. The smoke was starting to dissipate and this pesky monster was a real thorn in Link's side. It was faster than the others and a little smarter. Link swung at it again and again but the thing was tireless. It would constantly strike at Link with its battle axe, which Link would block with his shield. Every time Link tried to slice the axe, however, the monster was quick enough to move it away, and would swipe at Link again. Link finally had had enough and came up with a plan.

He backed himself up to the railing and let the thing come at him. It raised its axe and just as it brought it down, Link jumped aside and the blade sunk into the wooden railing and became stuck. The creature was more than strong enough to dislodge it, but this gave Link enough time to slice at the handle of the axe. He sliced right where the handle and the head meet, rendering the axe useless.

The monster held the handle and swung at Link's shield but it was solid enough to break the handle into two more pieces. The monster dropped the handle and rushed at Link. Link threw down his shield and grasped the Master Sword with two hands. When the creature reached him, Link moved aside and sliced at the creature's stomach. Its momentum carried it forward, so Link spun around behind the creature and sliced at its back. With two large wounds, the creature collapsed to the ground, and disappeared in cloud of black smoke.

He then began to look around for Ganondorf and could not find him anywhere. He also realized that he couldn't find Midna either. He frantically looked around the bridge and saw more smoke. He ran toward it but it dissipated rather quickly and he saw Midna facing a creature as it collapsed and disappeared. He ran to her side to see if she was all right.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Link."

"Since when could you fight?"

"I've always known how to fight, Link. Should that really be a surprise to you?"

"I guess not."

"What were those things anyway?"

"I've heard about them in stories. They're called Moblins. Ganondorf has been creating them for centuries. He uses his own beastly form to create what they look like. But, enough about that, we need to get into Castle Town. Ganondorf is gone."

The two turned and ran into the east district of Castle Town, desperate to keep Ganondorf from getting to the castle again.


	17. Divided We Fall

Chapter 17: Divided We Fall

Ganondorf roamed Castle Town, cutting down soldiers and citizens alike on his way to the castle courtyard. When he finally reached the gate to the courtyard he saw a group of soldiers standing there. They were led by their princess and a man in black.

"So, you've come too, have you? And you're fighting alongside the princess? This is quite a development, Batman" Ganondorf said.

"Stop right here. It's time for this to end" Batman replied.

"You and I both know that I will not stop here."

"Then I'll make you."

"Such bold words, but this is pointless for you. This isn't even your fight. You have no business here."

"You're wasting your breath."

Batman pulled one of his famous batarangs from his belt and threw it right in Ganondorf's face. This caught him off guard and Ganondorf stumbled backward, clutching at his face. Batman ran forward and leapt, punching Ganondorf's head, knocking him to the ground. But Ganondorf stayed on his feet and stood back up after this quick and fierce attack.

Zelda watched in awe of the stranger's quickness. She suddenly snapped out of this and immediately rushed to help the stranger. She drew her sword yet again and rushed Ganondorf, who was engaged in a fistfight with Batman. Ganondorf managed to knock Batman away as Zelda rushed for him. She swung her sword at him several times, but Ganondorf was too quick and dodged these rather easily. She thrust her sword forward and Ganondorf moved to one side. He grabbed Zelda's arm and twisted it, forcing her to drop the sword. She cried out in pain as he did this. With his right hand, he grabbed her throat and picked her up off the ground.

Batman recovered from the blow he took from Ganondorf and saw him holding the princess by the throat. The remaining soldiers there were too frightened to even move so Batman fought by himself. As he rushed Ganondorf again, a golden barrier suddenly came up, giving Batman a shock and knocking him to the ground. Ganondorf smiled and glared down at Batman.

"Thank you for delivering this prize to me, Batman. I can assure you, her power will be very useful."

As Ganondorf spoke, Batman looked above him and saw that with a carefully placed shot from his grapnel gun, he could swing around the barrier and retrieve Zelda from Ganon's grip.

He fired it to the top of a pillar and pulled himself upward. Using the momentum, he also propelled himself forward. As he moved through the air, he reached out for Zelda. He managed to take her from Ganondorf's grasp but as he tried to land on the ground, a great fist appeared in front of him. It made contact with Batman's face and sent him and Zelda tumbling roughly to the ground. The impact seemed to knock both of them unconscious. Ganondorf had simply made a fist with his left hand and was quick enough to move it into Batman's path, using his own momentum against him.

He slowly walked over to the two of them and bent down to pick up Zelda yet again. Batman lay on the ground next to her and waited for just the right moment when he got up again and kicked Ganondorf in the chest. This made him stumble backward and in a flash, Batman was on him again, punching Ganondorf's face. This caused him to fall to the ground, this time lying on his back. Batman approached him and picked him up by the throat, holding him close to his face.

"End this right now, Ganondorf or I will show you true pain."

"Do you think your petty intimidation tactics will work on one such as me? Besides"

Ganondorf reached out with his right hand and the Triforce mark glowed brightly. He grabbed on to Batman's right shoulder and a sudden surge of power went all through Batman's body. He grunted in pain as the power surged through him and knocked him to the ground.

"I live for pain, Batman."

Batman eventually went unconscious from Ganondorf's great power. He walked over to Zelda unopposed and picked her up again. When he held her in his hands again, he turned to the soldiers standing by the gate.

"If you wouldn't mind, gentlemen, I need to get through."

The terrified soldiers simply decided to let Ganondorf come through but they retreated inside the gates of the courtyard, slowly shutting the doors when they got to the other side. They warned the soldiers there about Ganondorf's imminent arrival. With princess Zelda in his grasp, Ganondorf started forward toward the courtyard gates.

After their fight with Ganon's moblins, Link and Midna ran through the streets of Castle Town, making their way to the castle itself. Midna no longer had enough energy to continually create portals. She had exhausted the power of her mages back in the Twilight Realm and the only portal she was capable of making would take her back to the Palace of Twilight. Now all they could do was run.

As they reached the front of the courtyard, they saw two men there. One man was lying unconscious and the other was standing over him. As they looked around, they noticed that Zelda was missing. Link saw who it was standing over Batman and a panicked feeling rushed over him.

"Stay away from him, clown!" he shouted in anger. The man turned to face him, with a smile on his face.

"Hello there, leprechaun. It's so good to see you again."

Link drew the Master Sword at his back and grabbed his shield. Midna stepped up next to him but Link held out his sword, barring her path.

"No, Midna. This one's mine."

"Batsy really did have an effect on you, didn't he? You talk just like he does."

"You'll pay for what you've done to him, Joker."

"Me? I didn't do this. As much as I'd like to have done it. Ganny stole my fun before I even got here. I've got to get him for that. I'm just as angry as you are."

"I doubt that."

Link rushed at Joker and swiped at him with the Master Sword. With his uncanny new quickness, Joker leapt aside and leapt at Link with a kick at his shield. The force was enough to knock Link's shield from his grasp. With another swift move, Joker punched Link in the chest and knocked him to the ground.

"I don't have time to play with you, leprechaun. Ganondorf stole my fun!"

Joker turned and was about to leave, but Link jumped up and ran at Joker again. When Joker turned to strike Link again, he rolled out of the way and jumped up in behind Joker again. Link then kicked him to the ground.

"Make time" he said.

Joker got up again and turned to face Link.

"You know, boy, you're starting to get on my nerves."

Link swiped at Joker again but this time, the tip of the Master Sword just caught Joker's right arm as he tried jumping aside again. In that instance, Joker screamed in pain and the strange golden aura around him faded significantly. The Master Sword was the Blade of Evil's Bane after all, so it had made an impact on the evil power Joker had received from Ganondorf. Joker grabbed at his arm and looked at his gloved hand and noticed the blood that now trickled out of the wound. He suddenly broke into a maniacal laugh.

"Ooooh, you've got a new weapon, eh boy? This one hurts. But it doesn't hurt enough."

Joker leapt at Link, knife drawn, but he wasn't nearly as quick as he had been moments ago. Link leaned to one side and Joker missed the strike with his knife. Link used the pommel of the Master Sword and knocked Joker to the ground again. Link rushed over to his shield to pick it up and then walked back over to the Joker, who staggered to his feet.

"You may have beaten me last time, but you can't beat the power of the Master Sword."

Joker laughed again.

"That's what you think, leprechaun."

Joker still had the power to summon his minions and with simple thought, Link was surrounded by the maddened looking creatures. He was quick enough that he cut down the first two with one slice each from the Master Sword. He was struck by the club of a third and knocked to the ground by a fourth.

Midna had seen enough and, with her magical blades, leapt into the fray and began helping Link against these creatures. Within moments, they all disappeared again and the Joker was alone once more. He reached into his jacket and pulled a gun from it.

"Aren't you nice, helping him like that? But I bet you'll regret it now" Joker said, pointing the gun at Midna.

She had never seen a gun before but was able to discern that, whatever it was, it couldn't be good to be pointed at her. She tried to react and rushed at the Joker but he managed to pull the trigger before she reached him.

Link had learned of guns from his time in Gotham and rushed to Midna's aid. Just as the shot rang out, Link dropped both sword and shield and ran toward Midna. He dove in front of her and blocked Midna off from the deadly path of the bullet. He felt a sudden stinging pain in his side and fell to the ground roughly. He looked down and saw blood instantly come from a wound on the left side of his abdomen. He clutched at it and tried to get up, but he collapsed to his knees again, right next to Batman.

"I told you I didn't have time to play. I'll deal with you later. Right now, I've got a date with Ganny."

He put the gun back in his jacket and turned and walked toward the courtyard gates.

"Midna, stop him! Don't worry about me!"

"I'm not leaving you here. I need to do something."

She laid her hand on the wound and tried to concentrate on it. But she was far too distracted by everything that had just happened to have any effect. It was then that she heard a groan from just next to them.

Batman stirred and then slowly got himself to one knee. As his head cleared, he could hear someone's voice.

"What's going on?"

"Link needs help!" said the voice again, but his mind was still hazy.

"Link? Where?"

"Right next to you! Come on, get to your senses! He's been injured by a weapon from your world!"

Batman shook his head and his vision cleared. He looked to his right and saw Midna clutching at Link who was kneeling on the ground.

"What happened?"

"Link's been injured."

"With what?"

"It was a gun, Bruce. Joker shot me" Link said.

"All right, let me see."

Batman slowly stood up and walked over to Link. He knelt down next to him and noticed Midna's hand covering the wound.

"You need to move your hand" he said.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Batman inspected the wound and tried to see if the bullet remained inside Link. He looked at Link's back and noticed a similar, smaller wound there.

"You got lucky, Link. The bullet exited here. Had it still been stuck in you, the lead would already have begun poisoning you. But there's still the matter of the bleeding."

"How would you consider him lucky?" Midna said, angrily.

"He did this for me. It's my fault this happened. If anything, I brought him bad luck."

"I meant for a bullet wound, he's lucky. And don't blame yourself, that's just Link's nature."

Batman reached into his belt and pulled out a small disc. He pressed a button in the centre and it enlarged.

"What's that for?"

"This will keep the blood loss to a minimum and cauterize the wound. It'll be painful but it should hold until you get proper medical attention."

"All right, do it" Link said.

"All right."

Batman slipped the disc underneath Link's tunic and pressed it right up against his skin.

"This will burn for a bit. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Batman pressed the button in the centre again and the disc rapidly heated up. Link growled in pain as the heat hit his skin. Batman removed the disc and did the same on the reverse side of the wound. With the bleeding stopped momentarily, Midna let go of Link and he got to one knee.

"Can you stand?" asked Batman.

"I'm going to try."

Link slowly got to his feet and stood up. The pain of the wound remained as he stood, but it was nothing he wouldn't be able to fight through.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible, but it's no matter."

Link walked over to his sword and shield and picked them up. He sheathed the Master Sword and put his shield on his back. He then turned to Batman.

"Where is Zelda?" Link asked

"If that's the woman I was fighting beside, then Ganondorf has her."

"Well, she is a fighter so that must have been her. We must hurry."

Link then tried to run, but found himself too worn out to do so. He was still in shock from the wound.

"Easy, Link. You can't go too fast" Batman said.

"But we have to hurry."

"We'll save her, Link. And we'll stop them. Just don't push it too hard until you've recovered enough."

Link was reluctant, but knew of the vast knowledge that Batman carried with him. He decided it was best to listen to him this time. Batman and Midna stayed close to Link as the three of them approached the gates.


	18. United We Stand

Chapter 18: United We Stand

As Ganondorf approached the main entrance to the castle, there were several soldiers standing in his way. He took hold of Zelda's throat with his right hand and held her up in front of them.

"Let me pass or your princess will suffer."

Ganondorf knew he could exploit their loyalty and counted on them not wanting harm to come to their princess. He also remembered their cowardly nature from the past would betray their desire to protect princess Zelda. The guards stood in defiance as Ganondorf waited for them to retreat. He decided that these soldiers weren't quite as frightened of him because he was not attacking. But he himself would not attack. He was about to summon another group of moblins when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey there, Ganny old boy, fancy meeting you here."

The soldiers all visibly shrunk back at the sight of the Joker.

"Enough, clown. We'll be through soon enough."

"Sorry, Ganny, but I don't understand what you're saying. What's with all this "we" stuff?"

Ganondorf's eyes darkened as soon as he heard this. Joker continued speaking.

"I mean, it's been fun and all, but you're not really the best man to take over this place, are you?"

Ganondorf tossed the princess aside and she hit the ground to his right. A yellow barrier instantly appeared around her so none of the guards were able to reach her. He whirled around and glared at the Joker.

"What is this? Why do you dare to challenge me?"

Joker's smile suddenly disappeared.

"You broke our agreement. You told me I would get in here first and that the girl was mine! You said you didn't want anything but to rule with me. You left me behind."

"It's your own fault. You shouldn't have let the bat get in your way. Besides, you knew going into this that you couldn't trust me."

Joker suddenly smiled again.

"Why, Ganny, you're a man after my own heart. Unfortunately, though, it turns out that you can't trust me either."

Joker moved swiftly toward Ganondorf, revealing that he carried a knife in his right hand. Ganondorf had no time to react and soon the knife was buried in his left shoulder. He reacted equally as quick and grabbed Joker by the throat, lifting him off the ground with his left hand. He used his right to pull the knife out of his shoulder. The soldiers witnessed the strange scene playing out before them in a frightened awe. Ganondorf's cape fluttered in the sudden breeze as the gates behind them started to open. He was too distracted by the Joker to notice, however.

"You insolent clown; I'll destroy you for betraying me!"

Joker was being choked and couldn't reply, but he managed another of his laughs in response.

"This shall be your end!"

Just as Ganondorf raised his right hand, he heard someone call out his name from the direction of the gate. He turned his attention in that direction.

"You appear to be having some trouble, Ganondorf. I guess this means the friendship's over."

Link stood in front of Batman and Midna as the gates shut behind them, all three staring down Ganondorf and Joker.

"I think you'd best set the clown on the ground so you and I can settle this" Link said.

"You would spare the clown's life after everything he's done?"

"I could care less what you do to him, but my friend over here might have something to say about that."

When Ganondorf looked again, he noticed that Batman was missing from the group.

Ganondorf suddenly released his grip on Joker and started looking around him. It was at this point that the remaining soldiers all turned and fled into the castle, shutting the doors behind them. Joker, catching his breath, decided to speak.

"What's wrong, Ganondorf? Are you scared of a little bat? He could be anywhere, you know" Joker said with a laugh.

Ganondorf did not fear Batman. He was merely on the lookout for a sneak attack.

"You can't hide forever, Batman. I'll destroy this entire castle again just to make sure you die with everyone else!"

Batman was perched on a ledge just behind Ganondorf, focussing on his target, which was lying unconscious on the ground. He quickly jumped and opened his cape, forming a sort of glider. He glided down to the ground and landed directly in the middle of Ganondorf's barrier around Zelda. He deftly scooped her up in one arm, and grappled his way to another balcony just above the one he was on before.

He got up there and set Zelda down on the ground gently. He then glided back down to the ground and landed just in front of Ganondorf. Ganondorf whirled around as Batman reached him. Batman then grabbed onto the Joker in one arm.

"I won't let you survive this time, Batman!"

Ganondorf reached for him, but found himself being knocked backward as he did so. Link stood in front of Batman, sword drawn and shield at the ready.

"This kid is even harder to kill than you, Bats!" Joker remarked.

Batman fired his grapnel gun again and he and the Joker were lifted away from Ganondorf and Link. Midna rushed to Link's side as he and Ganondorf stood facing each other.

"What are you doing, Midna?"

"I won't stand back and let you fight on your own again. That man almost killed you back there. Don't forget, you're still wounded."

"It's nothing, Midna. I can handle it."

Ganondorf looked at the hole and subsequent red stain on Link's tunic.

"The clown nearly killed you? You, the Hero of Light? Time has made you soft, apparently."

"Talk all you want, Ganondorf. I beat you once, I can do it again."

"We'll have to see about that."

Up on a small bridge, Batman stood facing Joker, who was still trying to catch his breath.

"You don't need to do this, Joker. You only need to come back to Gotham with me. Just leave this world alone."

"Go back with you? So you can throw me into Arkham again? Now that's funny."

Joker pulled the gun out of his jacket again and fired a shot at Batman. He dove away from this and quickly delivered a flying kick to Joker, knocking the gun from his hand and sending him sprawling to the ground. Joker slowly got up and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It'll take more than that, my dear Dark Knight."

From out of nowhere, one of the smiling creatures jumped onto Batman's back and began clawing at his face. With a swift move, Batman flung the creature from his back, straight into its master, knocking them both to the ground. As he did this, he became encircled by five more of the creatures. As each swiped at him, Batman was able to mount a swift counter to each of them and knock them all back. While Batman was distracted, Joker seized his opportunity.

With another knife in hand, he leapt at Batman while he was engaged with Joker's minions. He managed to sink the knife into Batman's back, just behind his left shoulder. Batman grunted in pain but he simply turned around and punched Joker's face, knocking him to the ground. He reached the knife with his right hand and pulled it back out with some effort. The minions were still on him, though. At this point, he could feel exhaustion kicking in from the toll of every battle he and Link had been in up to this point. He was more than used to having long battles throughout the night, but with Joker's power it was inevitable that he would not last forever. Luckily for him, though, he had backup.

He did not realize it, but Zelda was finally regaining consciousness. As she got up she looked at her surroundings and noticed the nearby battle going on. She saw the two men from the field fighting up here within the castle walls. Remembering the sacrifice the man in black, who had been called Batman, had made for her, she decided that she would be there to aid him as well. She drew the sword at her back once again and started forward toward the melee of the two men and the horrendous smiling creatures.

Batman was faring well against these creatures, managing to knock or throw them off the bridge they were on to the ground below. But the creatures were endless and as he dispatched one, two more would take its place. He couldn't keep up this pace forever. Not to mention, the Joker was constantly throwing in attacks of his own. Batman was able to fight him off as well but he knew that he was tiring out. He knew how to fight a large group of opponents but he had no real way of combating endless waves of them without tiring himself out and making a mistake.

This mistake happened at a very inopportune time. Throughout the fight, he had always kept himself facing Joker so he couldn't get in any more sneak attacks. But as he grew more and more weary, he couldn't keep up with the endless droves of Joker's minions. As three of them tried attacking him from behind, he turned to face them. What he didn't do this time, however, was manipulate them back in the other direction so he could face Joker.

With Batman's back turned, Joker seized his opportunity. He picked his knife up off the ground and rushed at Batman, aiming for the back of his neck. Just as he nearly reached him, he saw the flash of something shiny in front of him and the knife was flung from his hand. It flew off the bridge down to the ground below.

Zelda stood in front of him, sword drawn, having just swung it at Joker's knife. When Batman had dealt with the three creatures behind him, he looked around and noticed that none were left. When he turned around, he saw the princess grasping Joker's throat with her left hand. The left part of the Triforce mark began to glow and the rest of the aura around Joker faded. Zelda had managed to deplete the power Ganondorf had bestowed upon Joker. All of his minions had disappeared.

"What's with all you people here? You all go for the throat!" Joker said, amidst choking.

"You will die by my sword! I shall not let anyone get away with invading my land again!"

Batman rushed to her side.

"No! Don't do it!"

"You would spare this man's life? He tried to kill you."

"It wouldn't be the first time he's tried. But I can't kill him and neither should you."

"Why is that?"

"It's the right thing to do. If you kill him, you will ultimately become just like him."

Zelda dropped the Joker on the ground and he found himself once again gasping for breath.

"I knew I liked you for a reason, Bats."

"That's enough out of you!"

Batman reached down and picked up Joker by the scruff of the neck. He threw a swift, hard punch to Joker's face and he was knocked out cold. He then turned to Zelda.

"Thanks for the help."

"I owed you for helping me. Besides, you are a fated hero just like Link."

As she said his name, she looked over the railing of the bridge and saw the battle going on between Link, Midna, and Ganondorf.

"We have to get down there, quickly."

"Then you'd best hang on."

"Hang on to what?"

Batman did not answer. He simply grabbed onto Zelda's waist and fired his grapnel gun to a lower area where they could jump down into the courtyard. At the same time, Batman had attached another cable from his grapnel gun to Joker's legs. He fired it to just above where they had had their fight and he was soon dangling upside down several feet off the ground. Satisfied, Batman followed Zelda to aid Link in his battle with Ganondorf.

As Batman and Joker were battling, so too were Link, Midna and Ganondorf. They were engaged in a fierce sword battle. Ganondorf needed a way to separate Midna from the fight so he could get the showdown he wanted with Link.

As they battled on, Ganondorf was able to summon three moblins to attack Link. When they were upon him, he was able to cut down two of them instantly. But the third was persistent and gave Ganondorf plenty of opportunity to strike out at Link. With a great swing of his fist, Ganondorf knocked Link a few feet away and he fell to the ground. Weakened from his injuries, Link wasn't able to get up quickly and the moblin jumped on top of him. Link used his shield to deflect the monster's blows but he had no way of striking back.

Midna leapt to his aid and knocked the moblin off of him. Her anger began to overtake her as she chased the moblin around the courtyard, aiming to cut it down. She did not realize that she had given Ganondorf exactly what he wanted.

In a repeat scene of their first battle, Ganondorf created a magical barrier around the two of them, cutting off any help. Link finally did get up, stumbling a bit as he did.

"Here we are again. We'll see which of us dies this time."

"I suppose we will" Link said, grimacing and clutching at his gunshot wound.

Link managed to compose himself and he stood at the ready for Ganondorf.

Midna had finally chased the moblin down and destroyed it. When she looked behind her and saw the barrier, she realized her mistake.

"Oh, I'm a fool!"

She ran to the barrier and did what she could to break it. Nothing she had would work and she was forced to watch the scene unfold.

Ganondorf charged forward and swung his sword down at Link. Link jumped to the side and Ganondorf's sword sliced through thin air and collided with the ground. Link then quickly jumped forward and slashed at Ganondorf's shoulder with the Master Sword. It contacted just below where Joker had stabbed his arm. Link knew this wouldn't slow him down, so he jumped back after delivering this strike.

Ganondorf quickly turned to face Link and ran at him again. Only this time, he anticipated that Link would jump to the side and instead of swinging his sword down, he swung it across toward Link's location. Link used his shield to block this blow but Ganondorf's strength knocked him to the ground.

Link got up, but just as he did, Ganondorf lowered his shoulder and charged at Link again. Link was not prepared for this and he was knocked back into the magical barrier. This landed Link on the ground face down. He slowly got up again and realized that his shield was now missing. He looked to his right and noticed it lying on the ground. When he went to pick it up, he was knocked to the ground again. Ganondorf delivered a kick to Link's chest as he reached for his shield. Ganondorf picked the shield up and threw it over the barrier and it landed right next to Midna.

"That thing won't be able to save you this time."

Link slowly got up again. His injuries were taking their toll and he was now exhausted. He knew that in his current state, he could never defeat Ganondorf. But his unwavering courage told him that he must defeat Ganondorf and he would, at the very least, die trying.

When Ganondorf charged again, Link made no attempt to move away this time. Instead, he gripped the Master Sword in both hands and charged forward. As Ganondorf swung his sword at Link's head, Link swung the Master Sword with all of his might and deflected the blow of Ganondorf's sword, leaving an opening at his chest. As Link thrust his sword forward, Ganondorf anticipated even this move and leapt back out of harm's way.

With another quick move, Ganondorf rushed forward again and struck the Master Sword with his blade and knocked it from Link's grasp. He then kicked Link in the chest again, knocking him to the ground yet again. Link tried to reach for the Master Sword in desperation but Ganondorf stepped on Link's left arm. He grunted in pain as Ganondorf pointed his sword at Link's throat.

Midna looked on in horror at the ghastly scene.

"Well, at least you'll meet a hero's end, Link. But I'm honestly disappointed. I thought you'd be more of a challenge."

"Just get on with it" Link said, through heavy breathing.

"As you wish."

Link closed his eyes, awaiting the pain. He heard the sound of something metal sticking in the ground beside him. Ganondorf had noticed it too and was distracted for the moment. He saw the strange object and noticed it was shaped like a bat.

"Looks like your friend missed."

Link knew exactly what was to happen next. Batman had taught him about his various gadgets and Link remembered this one. Link looked up at Ganondorf.

"Don't look" he said.

Ganondorf grew confused and moved forward to strike Link down. Link closed his eyes and turned his head away from the device. As Ganondorf looked down at Link, he heard a strange and sudden noise. This was immediately followed by a powerful blast of light and high-pitched squealing that made the Demon King both temporarily blind and deaf. He dropped his sword and clutched at his face, stumbling around inside the barrier.

As he began to regain his vision, he imagined that he saw the form of a giant bat flying toward him. But it was no imagination. Once his vision cleared, Batman was on top of him, delivering a flying kick and knocking Ganondorf to the ground. Batman landed on the ground and skidded to a stop beside Link.

"Need some help?"

Link could hardly hear him speaking. The batarang had had the same effect on him and he was only just regaining his vision as well.

"You could've done that a little farther away, you know. My ears are still ringing."

"You're welcome" Batman said.

Batman helped Link to his feet and Link's vision finally cleared. He looked for the Master Sword and found it just off to his left. He scrambled over to it and grasped it in his left hand.

Ganondorf had just regained his senses when he turned around and saw Link and Batman running at him. Batman managed to reach him first and tried delivering a punch to Ganondorf's head. But Ganondorf was still quick enough to block this effort. Batman threw a punch with his other hand but Ganondorf quickly moved aside and grabbed onto Batman's arm. He then raised his right hand and, with the top of the Triforce mark glowing, purple electricity emanated from his hand. He reached forward and a bolt of lightning struck the Dark Knight in the chest, sending him flying backward into the magical barrier. He landed roughly on the ground, his chest smouldering.

It was then that Link emerged from behind Batman and swung the Master Sword at Ganondorf's head. He grabbed onto the blade of the sword, preventing his own doom but felt a strong burning sensation when he did so. Ganondorf shouted in pain and let go of the sword, frantically searching for his own. He spotted it, but it was behind Link.

As he tried to get around him, Link kept swinging the Master Sword, blocking Ganondorf's path. All the while, Ganondorf was backing up and rapidly running out of room.

Finally, with one final desperate move, Ganondorf tried faking one way and moving the other, but Link was still quick enough to counter this and sliced at Ganondorf's chest. This cut through his armour and left a large wound.

Ganondorf tried one final move of desperation. He quickly backed up against the magical barrier and then ran forward. He leapt as he reached Link and managed to clear his head. But Link swung the Master Sword upward and left another gash in Ganondorf's chest. This caused Ganondorf to crash down to the ground on his back. He skidded away and stopped beside his own sword.

Link quickly ran forward and leapt onto Ganondorf's chest, sticking the Master Sword through the break in Ganondorf's armour. The sword pierced his chest and Ganondorf shouted in pain. Link looked down upon him as he lay there in front of him.

The magical barrier dissipated and Midna and Zelda rushed to his side. Batman managed to get up and, clutching at his chest, made his way over to the three standing over Ganondorf.

As they stood there, Ganondorf did not get up as he had the last time he and Link fought. Instead, he just stayed on the ground. The light once again faded from the Triforce mark on his right hand and his eyes misted over and turned white, just as they had before. He then closed his eyes and all movement ceased. Zelda and Midna looked up and looked at each other. Then, they looked toward Link, who still stared at Ganondorf. Batman walked forward and put a hand on Link's shoulder.

"It's not what I would have done, but I understand that it's what you needed to do."

"I know, Bruce. Thank you for fighting beside me. I owe you my life many times over."

"That makes us even."

The four met at the Ordon spring where a portal awaited Batman and Joker. Link had returned the Master Sword to its rightful place one final time and stood here, awaiting Batman's departure. His wound had been treated and his injuries tended to. Batman had also tended to a few of his injuries but said he would have to wait until he got home to fully heal his wounds. They had given Batman a pair of manacles with which to restrain Joker and Zelda used the power of her Triforce to make him unconscious. Batman had him over his right shoulder. It was the princess who was speaking now.

"You are a true hero, Batman. I and the Kingdom of Hyrule owe you tremendous debt."

"No one owes me anything. I only did what's right."

"Well, I'm glad you came here to fight with Link. I bid you the best of luck in your future."

Midna turned to Batman, standing in front of another portal that her mages back in the Twilight Realm had managed to create.

"It's good to know that there are good hearts like yours in other realms. I am glad to have met you."

As she turned around to walk into the portal, she turned her head back again.

"It was good to see you both again" she said, directing that to Link and Zelda.

"At least we have discovered a way to meet again, should the need ever arise."

"Yes, thank you for helping us again, Midna" Zelda said.

"Midna, I'm happy to have seen you again. It's always good to see you. I just wish you'd consider trying to see us more often."

Midna lowered her head when she heard this.

"No, I only bring trouble. Our kind really doesn't belong in this world."

She looked down at her right hand and a strange gem formed there. She turned around and held it out toward Link.

"Take this, Link. If you ever need to talk to me, just hold this in your hands and say my name. I missed you too much last time and nearly went mad as a result. I know you missed me, too, so this is a way for us to speak. But I will not come to this world unless you or Zelda need me to again."

Link stepped forward and took the gem. It was roughly the same size and shape as the one Midna had removed from Link when Zant had cursed him. This one, however, glowed with a blue light.

"Thank you, Midna. I'll be sure to use this."

"Good, Link. The first time you do, there's something I need to tell you. Now is not the right time. Goodbye, all of you. "

With that, Midna turned and walked through to the Twilight Realm. The portal closed and just the three of them were left in the spirit's spring. Link approached Batman and the two stared at each other in silence for a while. Link was first to speak.

"I don't know what to say. We've been through so much. It's been an honour to fight with you."

"Likewise, Link. I'm glad I trusted you. This land of yours will be safe for a long time with you around."

Batman extended his hand just like the first time they had met. Link grasped it and shook it firmly.

"Say hello to Alfred for me." Batman turned around to walk through the portal. "And Bruce, keep safe."

"I always do, Link."

"Goodbye, Batman."

"Goodbye, Link."

Batman stepped forward into the portal and it soon closed behind him. The two heroes were alone in their own worlds again. Link turned to face Zelda.

"I think we should both head home now, princess."

"A fine idea, hero. I've had quite enough of this for awhile."

The two smiled at each other and Zelda mounted her horse and they went their separate ways. When Link had finally returned to his house in Ordon, he smiled when all the townspeople had gathered to greet him. They had heard about the attack on the castle and knew he would be there to defend it.

"It is good to see that you survived the attack" Rusl said. "Is it true that you had help from some mysterious dark knight?"

"Yes, Rusl. He and I are good friends."

"What was his name?"

"His name was Batman" Link said with a smile.

In Gotham, Batman exited the portal with the Joker on his shoulder. It was already another night by the time he got back. As he walked forward, he saw a police car speed by and stop at a nearby corner. It was quickly joined by others. One of the cars pulled over near him. Out of the front stepped Commissioner Gordon.

"Batman? When did you get here? And why do you have Joker?"

Batman walked forward and opened the back of the car. He put Joker down on the back seat and closed the door. When Batman turned around, Commissioner Gordon was in front of him.

"What happened to you, Batman? You look like you've been through a war."

"It's been a long night."

"It's been long for us, too. You went missing after that whole 'ghost' incident and since then, we've been rounding up almost everyone on our most wanted list. We've got a tip that Black Mask is running an illegal gun racket out of this location" Commissioner Gordon said, pointing at the nearby high-rise. "I'm glad to see that you're not dead."

"Need any help?"

"No, we can handle it. We'll take care of Joker for you, too. You should head home. You look pretty beat up."

As they were talking, they heard a call over Gordon's radio.

"Attention all units, robbery in progress at the Gotham Bank. Two-Face and twenty armed men have opened fire on officers at the scene. Request any available back-up, repeat, request any available back-up."

Batman turned away from the commissioner and fired his grapnel gun into the air.

"Good night, Jim" Batman said, as he took off into the night.

Commissioner Gordon watched as Batman took off, marvelling at the fortitude of the Dark Knight.


End file.
